The Werewolf's Wedding
by Nutsaboutremus
Summary: COMPLETED AT LAST!Do NOT let the title fool you. This is a purely PostHogwarts harry ginny story set against the comcial, choatic backdrop of my favourite werewolf's long awaited wedding! READ AND REVIEW! FULL SUMMARY INSIDE!
1. The one with the Invitation

**The Werewolf's Wedding**

**Summary:** Remus Lupin finally gets married to his longtime girilfriend, Zedka, the youngest daughter of a huge Italian wizarding family. Harry and Ginny undeniably attracted to one another but both avoiding each other at all cost; Bill meeting his ex-girlfriend Fluer and getting ignored, while his present girlfriend is seemingly missing, Charlie drunk courtesy of the twins, Good looking Italian men on the loose, Pregnant Hermione's hormones acting up, Ron on an overprotective streak, Sirius trying to remain a swinging bachelor despite being hit on and proposed to everywhere he went. What kind of a wedding can be so chaotic? A werewolf's wedding!

**Dsiclaimer NOTHING YOU RECOGNISE IS MINE!**

**a/n note**: This is Post Hogwarts for Harry and Ginny and the rest..you must be wondering why Remus is getting married only now but he likes to take his time with love...Also I choose to ignore Sirius' untimely death and pretend he is alive and kicking... a bit AU here and there but I hope you enjoy it do let me know..READ AND REVIEW..tell me what you think of my idea and I will update as soon a possible.

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**1. THE WEDDING INVITATION**

**You are cordially invited**

**to witness**

**the Wedding Ceremony of**

**The late Mr. and Mrs. Lupin's**

**Son**

_**Remus Jiles Lupin**_

_**Officer- in-charge**_

_**Ministry of Magic office of**_

_**Magical Cooperation**_

_**with Dark creatures**_

**TO **

**Mr. and Mrs. Benoulli's**

**Daughter**

**Zedka Rosetta Benoulli**

**Deputy chief of staff**

**St. Mungo's**

**on Sunday, 2nd December,**

**from 6.30 p.m**

**at Godric Valley, beside Godric Hollow.**

**Followed by a reception thereat.**

Love is a many splendoured thing, and a wedding is a chance to witness this.

RSVP via owl post to either Mr. Lupin or Miss. Benoulli.

Attached is a map with directions to Godric Valley.

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2. WEDDING RECEPTION PARTY INVITATION

We cordially invite you

on Sunday, 2nd December

at The Godric Valley Gardens

Godric Valley (Beside Godric Hollow)

_Champagne Reception...7.30p.m_

_Dinner & Dance...8.00p.m_

_Carriages...12.00a.m_

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_STORY COMING SOON……_


	2. Too good to be true Part 1

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TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE PART 1

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You're just too good to be true.  
Can't take my eyes off you.  
You'd be like heaven to touch. I wanna  
hold you so much. At long last love has   
arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're  
just too good to be true. Can't take my  
eyes off yoy.  
  
Pardon the way that I stare. There's nothing   
else to compare. The sight of you leaves me   
weak. There are no words left to speak.  
But if you feel like I feel. Please let me know  
that it's real. You're just too good to be true.  
Can't take my eyes off you.  
  
I need you baby, and if it's quite all right,  
I need you baby to warm a lonely night. I love  
you baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty   
baby, don't bring me down I pray. Oh pretty  
baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me   
love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby....  
  
You're just too good to be true.  
Can't take my eyes off you.  
You'd be like heaven to touch. I wanna  
hold you so much. At long last love has   
arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're  
just too good to be true. Can't take my  
eyes off you.  
  
I need you baby, and if it's quite all right,  
I need you baby to warm a lonely night. I love  
you baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty  
baby, don't bring me down I pray. Oh pretty  
baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me   
love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby....  
  
I need you baby, and if it's quite all right,  
I need you baby to warm a lonely night. I love  
you baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty  
baby, don't bring me down I pray. Oh pretty  
baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me   
love you, oh baby let me love you, oh baby.... 

- Lauryn Hill(she did the cover)

"Ginny, are you sure you want to apparate?" 

Her longtime roommate and partner in crime, Luna asked, a tinge of anxiety in her usually dreamy voice. 

Ginny who was summoning articles of clothing from her wardrobe into her suitcase, nodded grimly. 

True, apparating was not one of her best points, her _worst _actually.

She had to sit for the apparition test four times to have finally passed it. 

How she ended up in some drunkard's lap three miles away from where she was supposed to have apparated to, had made Weasley history, fodder for the growing brood of nephews and nieces - thanks to the high fertility rate of her happily married brothers.

But she was determined to apparate, not wanting to be the only adult witch stepping out of a fireplace, covered in soot that would inevitably clash horribly with her pale complexion, which was a physical characteristic typical of most red heads.

After all this was one of the biggest events of the year. 

Not to mention the fact that both Remus and his blushing bride to be Zedka were pretty good friends, due to Ginny's extensive work in the DA and later as a trainee healer during the Second War. 

Besides, Zedka had asked her to be a bridesmaid, an honor that she had not even bestowed upon Hermione - that could be because of Hermione's inability to manage the long walk down the aisle.

That was the reason Ginny was gracing this occasion with her presence. 

The operative word was **gracing.**

She planned to make a graceful entrance so flooing was out of the question.

"Fine, but just _focus_." Luna reminded her.

Ginny nodded, proceeding to fold her peach coloured, strapless bridesmaid dress into the bag. 

She was actually looking forward to this gala event. She would get to see her brothers, something that was rarely possible with all their conflicting schedules.

She would get to gossip with her favorite and very pregnant sister-in-law, Hermione.

Which reminded her of the disturbing fact that her dear brother's _other_ best friend would be there. The one who defeated Voldermort. 

Harry James Potter – that's who.

Now, you know those type of friendships that you develop with someone whom you previously had a crush on, after that unfortunate infatuation fades?

Well. Ginny had never really envisaged that for herself and Harry. To her knowledge, it would be highly awkward.

But it had happened – the summer after her fourth year. 

Harry had come over to stay at The Burrow. 

One starless night, a few days after he had arrived, while she had been out in garden, penning poems, enjoying the cool summer night breeze, her had joined her. 

They had talked about everything. (Somewhere along, he had told her about the prophecy, of which she realized later only she had been privy to.) 

They conversed with non-existent awkwardness and the casual intimacy borne of longtime friends. 

Since that night, they had been inseparable for the entire summer. 

Despite merciless, innuendo filled teasing from the twins and furtive glances from Ron, their friendship grew only stronger, more platonic than romantic.

Especially since Ron and Hermione often went off on walks together. 

It was strange for Ginny truly enjoyed being friends with Harry, nothing more, and nothing less.

They way she saw it, she would rather have an understanding friend who would be there forever than a boyfriend whom you would eventually have to break up with, unless he was The One.

Also, she had always wanted a male best friend and Harry fit the bill.

But like all good things, summer holidays drew to an end.

School began. That was when the trouble began.

Just when the school population was coming to terms with the Hogwarts trio becoming the Hogwarts Quartet, and people began placing bets on how long it would take for Harry and Ginny to drop their 'we're best friends, nothing more' act and snog each other, all hell broke loose on the last night of that summer in the Gryffindor common room.

Ginny had been huddled on the window seat, vigorously writing down another poem that had come into her mind. 

Colin, Luna and Neville were sitting on the couch near her, busy playing wizard's chess. 

Harry stomped in, his quidditch robes billowing about him, his black hair sticking out in all direction, spiked by the moisture of his perspiration, his natural musky, masculine odor wafting off him as he made his way towards Ginny.

Knowing looks were passed between the other gryffindors. Ron had been nowhere in sight. Neither had Hermione.

Harry had gotten back his seeker position in the team, something that Ginny truly did not mind for as enthralling as quidditch was, she loved writing her poems more. 

Harry did not seem to understand this. 

For as he approached her, seating himself across from her on the window seat, he told her he felt it was really unfair.

She was touched but tried to explain to her position. With schoolwork and quidditch, she would have no time for her poems.

Harry had gone on to say that she should at least have been made a reserve seeker.

That had insulted her. 

She just did **not** want play quidditch for the team and she definitely did not want to waste her time warming the bench as a reserve.

She had told Harry just _that_ in a cold measured tone, which had made Luna and Colin stop their game and glance up at her, with habitual wariness towards what would normally follow when Ginny spoke in such dangerously soft tones.

Harry too dense to sense the row that was going to happen, had continued to insist that Ginny should not sacrifice her passions for just a case of unfairness on part of Maconagall.

Ginny exploded, as expected by the entire Grifffyndor common room that had been watching the scene unfold with the breathless anticipation typical of spectators at a wizard's duel.

She had stood up, gathering her notebook in her arms. 

"I _know_ my passions, Harry! They are **not** quidditch! If you were my friend, you'd know just that!" Ginny had gritted through her clenched teeth into his fast reddening face.

Harry stood up as well then, so that she had to look up at him, for he was a good head taller than her.

"I was just trying to help you! How ungrateful can you get?!" He snapped at her.

"**_Ungrateful_**?! **_Me_**? Perhaps if you stopped trying to save your friends all the time, and just tried being a normal friend, they would be grateful! If you tried to get it into your thick skull, that not everybody _needs_ you! You and your bleeding nobility complex! Go save yourself first, Harry!" 

He had stood there, gaping at her, jaw slack. 

Ginny had no idea what had gotten into her. She was so angry that all she saw was red. 

Perhaps it had been PMS. Perhaps it had been the way Harry seemed to always think that he owed everyone and he shouldered guilt that he was not supposed to. 

Or perhaps, she wanted him to realize that she did not _need_ him to be her friend, but _wanted_ him to be her friend – a clear distinction.

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TBC only after twenty reviews

Tell me wat you tthink..


	3. Too good to be true Part 2

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TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE: PART 2

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CONT'D

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Whatever the reason, she would only realize in retrospect, for she found herself storming out of the common room, muttering loud enough for him to hear,

"Patronizing bastard."

If she had not been so absorbed in attempting to make a dramatic exit, she would have noticed Harry right on her heels. 

For when she reached the empty corridor, seething with rage, she turned around to find him standing right behind her.

"Har-" 

He had grabbed her then by her slender shoulders, pulling her close to him, before his lips swooped down toward hers, capturing her mouth in his, and catching her by utter surprise.

She had struggled at first, raining blows on his chest with her comparatively small fists.

__

This was an insult, to kiss her after she had just told him off. 

But he manacled her wrists in his hands, pinning them against the wall he had backed her into. 

Besides, the frenzy at which he had been attacking her lips was pleasingly distracting. She caught sight of a strange, unfamiliar glint in his half-closed eyes as he devoured her lips. 

The urgency, with which his tongue slipped into her mouth and caressed her own, disturbed her. 

It was as if Harry was attempting to lose himself in her, to distract himself from more pressing issues.

From past experience, Ginny _knew_, the worst thing any one could do was to attempt to use someone else as a distraction - to avoid dealing with more serious personal issues – it led to even more heartbreak. 

She began to struggle against him, not for herself, but for Harry's sake.

She did not have to, for Harry broke away then with a sharp gasp and wide eyes. Ginny would never understand why he had looked so startled then.

"Ginny." He whispered, breathing deeply, his lungs wildly struggling for air. 

He stared into her chocolate brown eyes, palm on the wall, beside her head, his face flushed.

"It was wrong." She said, her voice too shaky for her liking.

Harry nodded, looking at the wall beside her head.

"We've discussed this before remember when you talked about Cho? The reason why it did not work out? The last thing you need is to be romantically entangled when you're knee deep with battling against You-Know-Who." She explained, breathing evenly. 

Bringing up the topic of Cho seemed to not have such an adverse effect on Harry as she had hoped. In fact he remained stonily stoic. 

Ginny was trying to convince _herself_ more than anything. For a part of her _did_ want Harry to continue kissing her, to continue pouring a part of his soul into her, the way he had just moments before.

It was then that she realized she had **never** really stopped loving Harry.

Her feelings for him had grown from hero-worshiping to what was now love and concern.

She knew she had to walk away, get away from him before it was too late, before that avalanche of passion crashed down on her.

"We'll just forget it ever happened." She said, finality in her tone as she stepped away from him.

"I'm sorry." He looked abashed. She had wanted to kiss him then.

"It's fine, Harry."

Though she had known even then, as she turned to walk off, things would be far from fine after that. 

They lapsed back into their distance of before that fateful summer, each avoiding the other and if forced to be in close proximity, treating each other with utmost civility.

Ginny did not moon, like those pathetic spineless romantic heroines, or wait listlessly for the next time Harry kissed her, for she knew that was never going to happen.

Instead, she had her string of boyfriends and he, his girlfriends but Harry's kiss seemed to have a stronghold on her, the taste of his lips forever burnt on hers.

As romantic as that sounded, it was highly unfortunate as it led to high tension filled awkwardness between them that over time had dissipated buts its remnants caused them never to assume the friendship they once had.

This puzzled those around them who knew nothing about the lust filled kiss but being presumptuous people that they were, assuming that the fight had caused a rift between them – after all Harry was pretty sensitive about his ' nobility complex'.

"I'll see you at the wedding then." Ginny asked, having finished her packing.

Luna nodded following Ginny out to the living room.

"Perhaps you should leave slightly later. They would all still be sleeping in late after the bachelor and hen parties last night. Also, you don't want to end up in Sirius' bedroom if you apparate wrongly. Word is that he sleeps in the nude." 

Ginny would have burst out laughing if not for the sincerely worried look on Luna's face.

"I'll be fine. Zedka wants me there early. Besides I have to give Remus a few words of encouragement before that."

Ginny explained, swinging her satchel over her shoulder.

"Okay." Luna muttered resignedly.

"Good luck then." 

With a reassuring smile for Luna and a loud crack, Ginny was gone.

Ginny had been focusing on the living room of Remus and Zedka's brand new home, or so she thought.

The moment her own tastefully furnished apartment vanished from sight, she found herself falling flat and landing with a muffled thump on something soft, firm and glaringly white.

She shook her hair out of her eyes, registering her surroundings.

She had landed on a very comfortable bed in one of the guest bedrooms.

Then why did the bed feel so strange, and was the mattress or the quilt beneath her moving?! 

She struggled to remove herself from the seemingly enchanted covers.

A somewhat delayed, 

"What the hell?!" startled her, causing her to stop her desperate movements to extract herself from the bed.

She winced, realizing instantly that someone was sleeping on the bed and she was right on top of whoever that poor soul was. 

The reason for the lack of hindsight was due to the white puffy quilt that separated her from the person beneath, blocking them from Ginny's view.

Immediately raising herself on all fours, she looked down to find herself staring into a pair of emerald eyes that blinked right back at her.

****

Oh No.

A/N 

Guess who Ginny landed on and you get an invitation card to Lupin's wedding…hehe..

Yes, it is splendoured…spelling error..yes a lot of mistakes because of my lack of beta readers..sigh..

And sorry it took soo long..

Tell me wat you think of this chappie..was it confusing? I thought it was..i got so muddled up writing it..

Tell me if you also expected the kiss thing …say no..

Give me fifty reviews and Ill update..am very demanding but hell who cares…


	4. The one with the retching

THE ONE WITH THE RETCHING 

Providence seemed to get a kick out of seeing her and Harry together.

That was the only reason Ginny could come up with for apparating wrongly and ending in up in Harry's room, of all the rooms in the pretty big house, on his bed, right on top of him.

Ginny was so shocked that she could not even move or speak. All she could do was stare down at the startling image of Harry beneath her, at such dangerously close proximity.

"Ginny?"

Who did he think she was? _The Queen of England_?

Harry saw her every week thanks to the weasley Sunday family gathering for brunch at The Burrow.

Then again, he was not wearing his glasses so she had to excuse him.

Before they could converse any further, the room door flew open and who else to burst in at such a time, but the Marauder of all Marauders himself – Sirius Black.

He stopped short at the doorway, a smirk painted on his lips at the sight that met his eyes.

Arthur Weasley's youngest daughter straddling his godson. 

Talk about compromising positions.

Who cared if there was a thick quilt between them and that Ginny was fully clothed? 

This was his one chance to tease his otherwise almost righteous straight-laced godson.

Warning bells started going off in Ginny's head at the look on Sirius' face.

Ginny hurriedly attempted to clamber off Harry, only winding up almost falling off the bed.

Fortunately, Harry sat up, instinctively reached out to grab her by the waist. 

Her hands impulsively went out to grab his well toned taut muscly bare arms for support.

 To be so close to Harry twice in such a short span of time, especially when he was shirtless was too much for her.

Her cheeks were aflame. 

If she had not been looking down in order to prevent anyone from seeing her blush, she would have seen what Sirius saw – Harry staring at her with a strange look in his suddenly dark eyes, his face flushed.

Ginny regained her balance and got off the bed.

"It's not like what you think, Sirius." Harry spoke up finally.

This only caused Sirius to smirk even more, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest, a shock of greying black hair falling on his forehead in a rather becoming fashion. 

After all Sirius Black, even after all those years, looked as handsome as ever, exuding a mature charm that was his solely.

"I'm fully clothed." Ginny pointed out matter-of-factly.

Harry who knew better than to fight with his godfather's smirking tendencies,

"Why did you barge into my room as if the house was on fire?" he asked.

There was weariness in his voice that unnerved Ginny. She glanced to make sure he was all right. 

She swore inwardly. When would she ever stop caring about him?

Harry was sitting at the edge of the bed, slipping his glasses on.

"Remus is throwing up." Sirius reported, a worried frown reminiscent of Luna's expression earlier that morning framed his brows.

"Must be nerves." Harry suggested.

"I can make him a potion." Ginny volunteered, grabbing her satchel and walking towards Sirius.

"Oh yes. You used to be a healer right?" Sirius asked, reassured to have an expert in the vicinity.

He led her down the stately mahogany staircase into the living room, with leather upholstered chairs, glistening oak coffee table in the middle.  

"Hullo Ron, Hermione." Sirius greeted them as he entered the room.

Hermione stood by the closed bathroom door, her dress robes barely concealing her large tummy. 

Otherwise motherhood looked pretty good on her with her hair sleeked back, wearing a pretty smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes.

She greeted both Sirius and..

"Ginny!" Hermione crowed, pulling her into a fierce hug.

"Hey, Gin." Ron called out, his lanky frame sprawled out on the couch. Ginny turned to greet  her brother.

"You arrived yesterday?" Ron asked, helping himself to the bowl of cashew nuts on the middle of the table.

She shook her head, confused by her brother's question.

She patted Hermione's overlarge stomach.

"When is it due?"She grinned, feeling a wistful twinge at the pit of her own gut. 

She loved children and always wanted to have some of her own. That is if any man were willing to have children with her in the first place.

"Three days ago." Hermione replied, straight faced.

Ginny gasped. Before she could decide if Hermione was joking or not,

"Then how come you came from the stairs?" Ron asked, his auror instincts kicking in.

What was this – inquisitor's dozen?

"I apparated." Ginny mumbled, sheepishly. 

Ron's face broke into a huge grin, despite the disapproving glance Hermione was shooting him.

"So who's lap did you end up in this time?" He teased, grinning.

Ginny could do nothing to stop her face from going as red as a tomato.

The only consolation was that Sirius was ignoring them, busy leaning against the bathroom door, coaxing Remus to calm down and come out since it was impossible for him to throw up for he had not eaten anything in the last twelve hours.

Ginny could think of no clever response to Ron's question. She did not have to.

"Lay off the teasing, Ron." Harry commented lightly, strolling in, clad in sweatpants and his Confederation of International Aurors T- shirt.

Ginny did not fail to notice the questioning glances Ron and Hermione shared. 

She, herself felt an acute sense of déjà vu because Harry had said those exact same words to Fred, during that summer, when he had been teasing Ginny.

Remus came out then, much to Sirius triumph but he leaned weakly against the doorframe, looking exceptionally pale.

"Did you know that Zedka's grandfather had a tiff with the Mafia don and fled from Amercia to England to hide but the Mafia did not bother going after him. The mafia don himself was scared of her father, for he knew that he was a wizard." Remus said, before turning around and running back into the toilet. 

Loud retching noises followed.

"Sounds like morning sickness to me." Sirius joked. 

Hermione grimaced at the memory of her own spate of morning sickness.

"The Mafia? Wow. I can't wait for the wedding. Can you imagine? The Weasleys meet the Mafia." Ron murmured awestruck.

"What? You think your family is the British version of the Mafia? Think again." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen my mother when she's angry? She could give the Godfather a run for his money." Ron argued. 

Ginny did not bother to back her brother up, as she was busy looking through her basic healer's guide for the cure for nausea and vomiting.

"I second that." Harry added, having had extensive experiences with the Weasleys.

"I'll make Remus some calming potion." Ginny spoke up. 

Sirius nodded, gratefully.

"I'll help you." Hermione offered. 

With that the two ladies made their way towards the kitchen.

"I think I need some as well." Harry murmured, raking his fingers through his hair. 

Sirius having given up on Remus joined them on the couch.

"What's wrong, mate?" Ron slapped Harry's shoulder causing the already high-strung man to nearly jump a mile.

"Don't do that!" Harry snapped.

"Whoa. Who poured you a double mocha of grumpy this morning?" Ron attempted to lighten up his best friend. 

Sirius observing all this simply smirked.

"I know why." He stood up, smiling knowingly at Harry who was too afraid to meet his godfather's eye.

"He woke up in the arms of a woman he could never have." Sirius said, cryptically, winking at Ron before striding off towards the kitchen.

Ron's face was suffused with confusion as he tried to figure out what Sirius meant.

Harry looked as if he was ready to join Remus in the washroom. 

All those memories – he could feel the beginnings of a migraine at the base of his skull.

**A/n: Hope you like it..Wonder what Harry's version of the memories are? Why did he kiss Ginny that last night of that fateful summer? Stay tuned to find out…**

**Thanks for all the reviews pple…give me thirty more and I will update..Scout's honor…**


	5. The one with the Love Talk

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_The One with the Love Talk_

He should never have kissed her. Not that the kiss was bad. 

On the contrary.

In fact, something has happened to him as he kissed her.

Something that had never happened even when he had kissed Cho Chang. 

He had felt himself go hard. He had never expected it. He had backed away from Ginny immediately, not wanting her to know how easily she aroused him.

That was not something he had bargained for when he had kissed her. He had been searching for a way to vent out the strangely lustful emotions he had been feeling the past few days. He had not expected his body to respond so primally to hers, as if he needed her, wanted her.

It only proved to him that his feelings for her were less than noble, something that should have dawned upon him when he had had that peculiar dream. 

The dream, which had caused this entire mess. 

Or so he liked to think. 

Somehow the thought that the desire to kiss Ginny senseless had been buried within him all this while did not suit his fragile state of mind.

The dream had occurred a few days before, when Ginny and himself had stayed up late in the Gryffindor common room reading. 

Ginny loved to read and has taught him the pleasures of reading that summer, among other things that he had learned from her.

 One of them had been instilled in him till now - the ability to enjoy life's little pleasures the way she did - singing, laughing, and dancing.

That night as they sat on the armchair by the fireplace, squashed comfortably together, he reading from 'Little Women' out loud to her. 

Halfway through he realized that she had fallen asleep and not wanting to disturb her, he too put the book aside and attempted to sleep. 

Just before his mind could drift into the subconscious realm, he found himself noticing how Ginny's red brown eyelashes clashed beautifully with her porcelain skin. 

_That_ thought must have triggered the dream that followed.

The simple yet impacting dream of kissing Ginny relentlessly as she sat on his knee, her arms looped around his neck.

He had woken up, flushed and shocked beyond reason, to find Ginny gone.

For one brief insane moment he thought she knew about his dream but he came back to himself, brushing the dream aside.

Easier thought that done. 

The memory of that dream plagued him the next few torturous days. 

He found himself noticing things about his newfound friend that he had not before. 

Like how she had the most amazing brown eyes: they would be dark chocolate one moment, light as cinnamon the next.

Like how he felt a hot trace up his spin when she touched him, intentionally or accidentally. 

Or when her enticingly kissable lips spread into a heart-warming smile at the sight of him. 

He had, no thanks to that dream, developed an almost irresistible urge to kiss her when she was saying something interesting. 

Things got really bad for poor Harry at dinner before quidditch practice. Ginny had been talking to him, though he was too enraptured with the way her soft, seashell pink lips moved, to pay much attention. 

When she bit on her lower lip, Harry actually considered tackling her from across the table and doing what he had wanted to do ever since the image of their passionate embrace during the dream had been burnt into his mind. 

Harry was surprised the ever-perceptive Ginny had not noticed the heated waves of lust radiating off him.

It was as if Cupid had shot an arrow straight at him, and he could not avoid it, unless he allowed himself to go with the tide. 

Which was exactly what he decided to do - kiss Ginny and see if he felt anything. 

He was dead sure that since there were only friends, there would be no flying of sparks or wanting more. It would probably feel so weird that he would never want to do it again. 

He never considered the prospect of their precious friendship being destroyed so absorbed was he in getting those unhealthy thoughts out of his system. 

Her ominous outburst at him that night only provided him the recklessness, that always came hand in hand with anger, to chase after her, pin her against the wall and ravage her as if there was no tomorrow. 

The moment their lips touched, however, all anger vanished and Harry knew he was in trouble for he wanted to go on kissing her, touching her and doing all sorts of other things to her. 

When they broke apart, he had wanted to force her but Harry knew better than to think with the lower half of his body.

What she said made more sense as well. They were better to remain as friends. 

A prospect, both of them realized as days went by, that was quite impossible as well.

If anything, what he missed most was her companionship, her confidence and her words of wisdom.

Harry never felt the same about Ginny after that. 

He was forever attracted to her, keeping an eye out for her, comparing his dates or girlfriends to her. 

She had come into his life unnoticed and when he had finally opened his eyes to her; made such a remarkable difference that he was certain that certain habits he possessed presently, had been acquired during that wonderful summer with her.

He also knew despite her teenage infatuation on him, she was never his. 

This had been enforced when Ginny started dating Blaise Zabini, resident Slytherin hotshot, during Harry's seventh year. They had been going strong till recently. 

Rumour was that they were on a break from their relationship - a high profile one as Blaise was heir to the entire Zabini fortune and estate in Florence, Italy. 

Harry had kept his distance, not once forsaking his well-hidden and at times almost never-there feelings. 

He had almost convinced himself that whatever he had felt for Ginny was gone, completely. 

_Almost. _

Until that morning, that is. A painful sigh escaped his mouth. Sirius had summed up his predicament rather well.

" It's unhealthy to sigh." Remus admonished, collapsing onto the sofa beside him.

"A bit rich coming from you - throwing up all morning." Harry pointed out.

" I should have drunk last night. Wouldn't have felt so bad this morning." 

A look of mock regret crossed the older man's pleasantly handsome features.

Harry scoffed.

"You were too busy grinding with the stripper, dare I remind you." Ron teased.

"She was onto me, the silly woman." Remus argued, weakly.

"Here, drink up." Sirius thrust a goblet into his friend's face upon entering the room.

"Calming potion. Thank whoever made it." Remus drank it up slowly, savouring the bittersweet taste.

"You're welcome." Ginny grinned at him brightly, coming from behind Sirius.

"Hey, Gin!" Remus flashed her a smile.

"Zedka is in the other wing." Ginny nodded.

"I'll go soon. Came to give you some words of encouragement."

Remus held up the goblet.

"This speaks for itself."

"Grinding with a stripper eh?" Ginny teased, grabbing her bag while shooting a mischievous smile at Remus who began to blush.

"You bet. I'm so proud of Remy, I tell you." Sirius crowed, thumping his friend on the back, causing him to spill some calming potion on his robes.

"You mean, Jiles." Harry mocked; as Remus hid his flushed with embarrassment face in his hands.

"Save me. He mumbled as the rest of them laughed. 

"Don't worry. Not a word to Zedka." Ginny lied, patting the blushing bridegroom, before leaving the room, Hermione at her heels. 

Harry watched Ginny leave, admiring the confident yet feminine sway to her hips as she moved. 

He was done for. That much was obvious.

"Harry, why do you look so constipated?" Ron asked. 

Harry felt a twinge of fear, hoping Ron had not seen whom he had been staring at. Remus snorted into his goblet at Ron's crudeness.

"Actually, Ron's right. You look worse than Moony over here." Sirius smirked.

"What is that supposed to mean, Paddy?" Remus questioned, his strength returning.

"You better not call me that." Sirius warned. 

At the defiant look his friend shot him,

"Isn't Zedka's father Patrick, called Paddy by his family?"

Remus quelled instantly, memories of his intimidating father-in-law running through his head.

" I thought he had a soft spot for you?" Harry asked, relieved that the attention was of him.

"That is only because I am named after one of the founder of Rome. That's it. The fact that I am a werewolf does not sit well with him." 

Remus shivered, thinking about **The Talk** he had received from Patrick Bernoulli when he had asked for Zedka's hand in marriage.

"It's always in the name, isn't it?" Sirius asked, with a mock sombre look on his face as he stood by a window with light snowflakes dancing outside. 

Their house at Godric Valley was beautiful, with the main living room and two wings covered slightly toward the front, encircling a large garden, which Sirius could see from where he stood. The large field was covered with ropes and poles for tents and pavilions. 

A special entrance was cut into the bank leading from the twisting road through the gently rolling hills right up to the tall wrought iron main gate with a low rose colored brick wall bordering the field and the house. 

" Siriusly?" Remus joked. 

Ron stared at him, awe struck.

"Why, you're in a really jolly mood aren't you? I was a nervous wreck on my big day."

"Tell me about it." Harry grimaced in recollection.

"You lads, suffering from short term amnesia? Do you remember the throwing up gig our dear Remus did a few moments ago. This calm cool Malfoy worthy act is due to the calming potion than our dear Ginny made." Sirius shook his head, as Remus shot him a disgruntled look.

The mention of Ginny's name seemed to thunder through Harry's head. What was wrong with him? He had to get a grip of himself.

"And the look of sheer pain returns." Sirius announced in the booming voice of a game show host as he waved his arm in Harry's direction.

"I'd say Harry's in love." He continued with a maddeningly superior air.

"In love? Harry looks as if the worst has happened to him." Ron argued.

"What could be worse than the _total_ agony of being in love?"

Sirius reasoned as he settled himself in the armchair, hefting his legs onto the coffee table.

"Total agony." Remus repeated, as if trying out the feel of the words as they rolled off his tongue. 

Then with a wry smile,

"I like this **agony**." He remarked.

"Could you all stop talking about me as if I am not here!" Harry burst out. 

The other three men stared at him.

"We stopped talking about you quite some time ago, mate." Ron pointed out in a patronizing tone of voice that grated on Harry's already frayed nerves.

"Delayed reaction that's what love does, I tell ya." Sirius teased. 

"For the record, I am not in love." Harry muttered, a muscle twitching in his clenched jaw.

"Oh. Okay." Sirius murmured, unconvinced. 

"All this love talk makes me sick."

"But love is all around, Ronniekins!"

"Fred! George!" Sirius greeted.

Ron groaned as the duo from hell and rich owners of WWW stepped through the fireplace, dressed in missed matched suits. 

Harry did not groan. The twins made for a lively distraction from the annoying discussion of his non-existent love life.

Or so Harry thought.

**A/N: You guys are nuts (in a gd way of course.hehe)**

**Especially hyper something (that's your username rite?) you sent me a review from each chapter..**

**aniwai so overwhelmed I was by your response that I decided to reward you all with this ultra long chapter..hope you like it..**

This time hit a hundred reviews and I WILL be back..Just need your values opinions That is all! Love you all and your reviews..

**Tell me wat you think about Harry's point of view?**

**And wonder what Fred and George will get up to?? Stay tuned…**


	6. The one with the Duelling

_The one with the Duelling_

"Not happy to see us, brother dear?" George teased. 

"Remus, looking good." Fred thumped him on his shoulder. 

"I am in my ordinary robes." Remus stated, dryly.

"Oh. Still looking good for someone who is about to commit himself to a lifetime of battle of the sexes."

"Don't forget the makeup sex." Sirius added, having always gotten along famously with the Weasley twins.

Remus blushed while the rest of them sniggered. 

"Rumor's that you invited Snivellus."  Fred commented, conjuring a bottle of butterbeer as he made himself comfortable on another settee while George wandered towards the kitchen to ransack the fridge.

"He didn't RSVP though." Remus had no twinge of notable regret in his voice..

"Who needs that hook nosed boy anyway?" Sirius made a face as Harry, Ron and the twins laughed. 

Remus remained surprisingly stone faced.

"Just thought, you know, Sir, you could finally come clean about your true feelings for him." He commented, smiling thinly. 

The boys exploded with laughter while Sirius had an expression of utmost incredulity on his face. 

"I would kill you if it weren't your wedding day." He threatened. 

Remus gave a short laugh.

"You'd never do that, Padfoot, cos I'd attack you next full moon." 

Sirius let out a growl in frustration.

"Unrequited love is always frustrating." George consoled amidst laughter, which died down at the death glare Sirius shot him.

"Aren't you men going to get ready? Fred asked. 

"It's not us who need all this time, it's the ladies. We can start half an hour before the bloody ceremony." Sirius yawned, slumping further down in his seat.

"Someone didn't sleep last night." Ron smirked. 

"What were you doing?" Remus asked, genuinely curious for he knew that his friend had been as sober as a judge when they had all retired to bed after the unexpectedly dull bachelor party.

"Do you really want to know, Remus?" Harry grinned, exchanging mischievous grins with his godfather. 

Remus noticed this and groaned.

"I will kill you, Sirius if anything goes wrong today, I swear." Remus looked dead serious. 

"Why me? Harry's in on it too!" Sirius whined.

"**Hey**!" Harry protested, scowling.

"You are the _only_ one capable of planning whatever that you have planned!" Remus shot back, looking extremely angry, something that he rarely was. 

Though if one did incur his wrath, they had better watch out.  He had a temper, not one that flashed and was all over, but the white, still anger than was seldom stirred, but once kindled was hard to quench. 

Sirius knew this so he was careful, very careful not to wake this anger against himself, for peace and happiness in their friendship depended on keeping Remus respect.  So he kept quiet, knowing that he was bordering on this very thin line and that it was best to let the man vent his anger, which was exactly what Remus proceeded to do.

"Did I not make you promise me to behave well, and not cut up any pranks, and spoil our plans?"

"Yes, not a prank." Sirius murmured under his breath. 

"And not to say funny things when we ought to be sober?" Remus looked at his friend, almost like a parent scolding his child.

"I never do, Remy, the twins are the ones for that." Sirius protested, a pleading look on his face.

"**What**!" Fred exclaimed.

"Yes, Fred, you do. George reminded him.

"Yes, and the both of you, I implore you not to look at me during the ceremony, for I shall certainly laugh if you do." Harry spoke up, now that the tension had lightened up and Remus was sipping his calming potion.

"Look at Mother, then. She'lll be sobbing her heart out." Ron advised.

"I'm not even her son". Remus shrugged, though genuinely touched.

"She loves you the most after Harry." George kicked Ron's leg away so he could stretch out his own.

"Actually, I think they are tied in position." Fred looked thoughtful.

"Heh. And she hates me." Sirius actually looked a tad sorrowful.

"Don't worry, mate. She'll die of a heart attack if you do settle down." The rest of them laughed at George's matter-of-fact words. 

"She'll live for a long time then." Remus laughed. 

Srius frowned. 

"I'm glad I'm single. What's so bad about it? So is Harry." 

There was a short laugh from Ron, Remus and the twins.

"You all know something I do not?" Harry asked, obviously peeved as Sirius too began to smirk.

He would never know the answer to that question.

Just then, a flustered Hermione appeared at the doorway of the living room, visibly breathless.

"We need help. Ginny and Teresa are duelling." She gasped. Teresa was Blaise Zabini's younger sister.

Harry was the first to leap from his seat, Ron at his heels.

"**What?!"** Geroge smirked while Sirius let out a bark of laughter. 

"Yes, they started arguing, something about Blaise and they're hexing each other now! Hurry! Zedka and Freda are doing their best to keep them apart!" Hermione looked thoroughly anxious, not at all amused by how light-hearted the twins were being about it.

"I'll help". Remus stood up, only to be pushed back onto his seat.

"You can't see the bride before the wedding."  Hermione admonished as if Remus had thought of the committing the gravest of all sins.

"I'll go." Harry offered, gesturing for Sirius and Ron to follow him. 

The twins, wanted to cheer their youngest sister on but Remus insisted they stay with him in order to prevent further chaos.

"I didn't know Blaise was invited, least of all his family." Harry murmured to Sirius who nodded.

"They're Italian and close relations of the Bernoulli family."

Harry mulled over this fact. 

The moment they reached the second floor of the east wing, they could hear shouts of curses echoing down the hallway. Even Ron looked a tad worried. 

Hermione seeing the fear in his eyes,

"They haven't actually managed to hurt each other yet. Both have excellent reflexes."

"Ginny was a seeker, right?" Srius asked. Harry nodded in affirmation.

"Like you?" Sirius asked.

Harry shot him a questioning look.

"What's with the interrogation? Save it for later, okay." He muttered curtly before they stepped into one of the rooms.

The sight that met their eyes was one that would be talked about and discussed among others through out the wedding dinner later. It was obvious that Ginny was on the winning end. 

Though she was held back by both Zedka and Zedka's best friend, maid of honor, Freda, she was shooting hexes non stop at the other brunette who could only duck from Ginny's curses, occasionally sending some of her own. Bright green light of curses bouncing against the wall, going back and forth filled the room. 

"I wonder what she said." Ron muttered, echoing the question in all their minds as Harry pointed his wand at the space between both girls, casting the sheildo corpius, an invisible protective barrier between both of them, so no spells or curses could pass through. 

This was a special charm taught only to Aurors.

Ginny stopped, struggling and yelling out hexes the moment she realized what Harry had done. This was not to say that she was happy. The general impression was that she would have liked to hex Teresa to the next decade.

"What was that about?" Ron asked, frowning at his sister's uncivilized behaviour.

Zedka, was talking to Sirius, obviously inquiring about Remus welfare. She looked not in the least unnerved by the happenings, her black hair all over her face, her gray eyes bright with mirth. 

Ginny shook her head, feeling insurmountable guilt at causing such drama. 

"I cannot believe her." Freda muttered, shooting a dark look at Teresa who was heading towards the bathroom, as she came to join Ginny and Ron.

'What happened?" Ron asked, exasperated. 

"It was-" Freda stopped short at the pleading look on Ginny's face.

'I won't do anything. I promise. I'm you brother-"

"That's exactly what I am afraid of." Ginny cut Ron off.

"What happened?" Harry joined them, echoing Ron's earlier question.

Ginny was taken aback by Harry's apparent concern and the way he actually looked her in the eye, obviously directing the query to her, and not to the floor or the air beside her head like before.

Ron shot Ginny a smug look. 

"Tell us, Gin?" He gave her sickly sweet smile. 

Ginny had to fight the urge to stick her tongue out at her brother. 

"It was nothing okay, Ron? So don't get all 'big brother protecting his sister' on me." She snapped at him. 

"**Fine**!" With that Ron turned and walked off towards Hermione. 

"Ginny, what happened?" Harry's voice dropped a few notches as he looked at her, his grass green eyes lined with concern. 

Ginny felt a lump form in her throat, as a diverse variety of emotions overwhelmed her. That familiar look of concern brought back so many memories of that blessed summer. Sure, she had friend who were concerned over her, even her brothers and parents, and the occasional nice boyfriend but all of it was nothing compared to _Harry'_s concern for her. 

If all it took for him to return to being the friend he once was,  were for her to have landed on top of him in his bed, she would have done it sooner. 

The way he looked as her, as if she was the only one in this world, the only one that mattered. 

Merlin, Ginny could not imagine ever _not_ loving this wonderful, kind spirited, handsome man. 

Even Freda seemed to realize that this was a uniquely private moment and moved off, leaving the two of them alone together. Ginny drew in a deep breath before speaking.

"She said that the she could never figure out why her brother dated wizarding trash like me and that he would never marry someone like me - a gold digging witch. She was glad that he had come to his senses and seen who I _really_ was – a money minded whore." She never looked at Harry as she spoke, feeling her entire face heat up at her confession. 

That was what Harry always did to her- make her confide in him more than she usually intended to. 

She looked up after a minute to study his reaction. He had on a look of empathy on his face, understanding and consoling.

If Ginny had looked up at him a minute earlier, she would have seen the crimson hot anger combined with jealousy contort his boyishly handsome face, darkening his eyes. Harry was trained, as every Auror was, to conceal his true emotions and he did just that.

"You _know_ that she was talking complete nonsense, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's been a bit hard ever since we broke off and I should have known better than to explode like that. I mean, Tree never liked me. She felt threatened by me, always has." She explained, a look of heartbreaking desolateness on her face.

Harry nodded, raising his hand as if to stroke her face but simply reached out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. 

Ginny smiled at him, gratitude shining in her beautiful dark brown eyes. 

He remembered then, the way she used to look at him, during those summer days together. 

This look in her eyes that she thought no one noticed. 

But Harry noticed. 

He saw it and wanted to comply with the plea in those dark pools of molten chocolate. The appeal to take her away, take her far away and that she would run with him wherever he went even if it was a long way to run.

But he could not, in the past and not now. Circumstances and duty bound them apart. 

Ginny turned then as Hermione had called her. 

She moved forward when a sudden tug at her hand, as if someone had manacled her wrist, pulled her back, her back slamming against Harry's rigidly muscular chest. 

She noticed everyone else in the room watching them. 

Ginny turned to see Harry's just as confused face. 

They looked down simultaneously at their hands and noticed instantly that their watches were stuck **together**. 

**A/n: Thanks for all your reviews..i would love to thank you all individually but have no time.**

**Tell me wat you think about my feeble attempts at humor and wat you gathered from the watch stuck together thing and what you hope will happen now…**

Thanks for being there and supporting this story..you will not regret investing your time and energy in giving reviews for this story..if not I will refund you in the form of an invisible cloak – you won't be able to see it when you arrives in the mail but that's not my problem..

**Evil laugh – MUAHAHAHA…I love doing that..**

**I have a request to make – Arios (or any other hg fanfic writer out there) would you like to do a mmail thing to accompany my story? **

**Tell me if you're interested…I'm just having one of my wild ideas..**

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	7. The one with Sod's Law

The one with Sod's Law 

_Disclaimer: Anything you see or recognise is not mine.._

"Oh Merlin." Ginny heard Harry draw in his breath sharply.

"Who did this? Who charmed our watches?" Ginny spat out as she attempted to move away from Harry, tugging her hand away from his but to no avail.

Ron and Hermione hurried over to see what was the matter. 

"I don't believe this." Ron muttered, smirking. 

Sirius wore an identical smirk on his face. Zedka looked incredibly amused by this turn of events while Hermione struggled to hide a smile, seeing Ginny's furious expression.

"I love this, I tell you. The wedding has not even started, my family hasn't even arrived yet and pandemonium has already broken out." Zedka sighed, with mock exasperation unable to conceal her warm grey eyes dancing with mirth. 

"If only Moony were here." Sirius laughed, echoing Zedka's own thoughts.

"I don't think it's charmed." Freda commented, bemused.

"It's just stuck." 

Ginny let out a growl of frustration as she tried for the second time to tug her wrist from Harry's. This time she did it too harshly for she nearly yanked Harry's arm out of his socket.

"Hey! Woman! Stop!" He yelled out, in protest, massaging his arm.

 "Sorry Harry."

"Try and remove your watches." Hermione suggested.

"Brilliant!" Harry crowed, struggling to undo the clasp only to realize that was what was stuck with the clasp of Ginny's watch.

"My, my, what a nice situation." Ron smirked some more. 

Ginny knew exactly what was going on in his sick head. Using her other free hand, she smacked him on his shoulder. Harry simply shot him a death glare that could rival Hermione's own. 

"You two are stuck till we can figure out how to remove it." Freda announced the already obvious verdict.

"Then how am I going to get ready?" Ginny whined.

"You have seven hours till the wedding, Gin." Harry consoled. 

The use of her nickname did not unnerve her, as it should. Instead it sent a warm rush through her, one that even butterbeer could not give.

"I have an idea. Why don't you come down to the living room? Fred and Geroge might be able to figure something out." Ron suggested.

"And if all else fails, Remus will think of something. He always does." Zedka added, with the faith and confidence one always has in the love of their life.

Ginny's eyes had widened in horror.

"Fred and George? They'll never let me live it down." 

Harry's face fell as well at the prospect of merciless teasing about his awkward situation with Ginny. 

They did not have a choice though.

As they made their way down back to the living room Sirius who was walking behind them, murmured, loud enough for both of them to hear,

"You two seem to have a knack of getting _entangled _together, eh?" He teased. 

Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair while Harry acted as if he had not heard Sirius. 

Ron entered the living room first, followed by Srius and then Ginny and Harry. 

It was George who noticed their hands stuck together and he elbowed Fred, nodding towards them, which to the twins' credit, from a certain angle almost looked as if Harry and Ginny were holding hands. 

"Well! It's about bleeding time!!" Fred crowed much to Harry's chagrin.

"Thought you two would never get your act together!" George added. 

Ginny looked boiling mad. Remus, thanks to Sirius' whispered update in his ear, stifled a laugh.

"Their watches are stuck together." Ron explained, biting back a smirk. 

"Oh." George actually looked mighty disappointed. 

"Yes, you two dumb pricks." Ginny snarled at them. 

She was close to wits' end. This was not how she imagined the day to go. Sure some things would not go according to plan; there would be drama and nerves, typical of the hours before a wedding. 

If she had known that she would forced to be within a few inches radius from Harry, she would have skipped this wedding. That was sod's law for you - it dictated that you wound up stuck with the person you spent all your time avoiding. 

"Blimey, Gin. We were just joking." Fred put his hands up in the air as if surrendering. 

Ginny simply glared. Harry looked as expressionless as it was possible for someone who was standing a bit too close to the woman he much desired.

"Any ideas how to rectify this problem?" Sirius asked, glancing curiously at Harry. 

Remus noticed this and raised his eyebrow questioningly at Sirius upon catching his eye. Sirius shook his head slightly, indicating a private discussion at a later time.

"He could use Redcuto." Ron offered, biting into an apple he had snatched from the fruit basket in the dining room. 

"You'll smash their hands." Remus stated. 

Ginny, upon realizing that this brainstorming for solutions would take some time, sat down in an armchair.

"How about me?" Harry's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Oh!" 

She glanced up at him, feeling her neck grown warm at how adorably dashing Harry looked, with a smile tugging at his lips as he attempted to frown in an intimidating fashion at her but to no avail.

"I need to sit." He explained, bemused.

"Sorry." 

She flashed him a sheepish smile before moving toward the couch and sitting beside Remus who was in deep discussion with the twins. Harry sat down right beside her. 

With **no** space between them at _all_.

"Harry, you're squashing me." Ginny complained. 

She hated her personal space being invaded especially by someone who made her pulse go a bit faster than it normally did. She could not move further away from him, as she would end up in Remus' lap if she did that.

Unfortunately, her loud complain attracted the attention of the rest of the smirking occupants of the room.

"Sorry." Harry attempted to move from her, only pulling her hand towards him.

"Forget it you two, just cosy up." Sirius offered suggestively. 

Now it was Harry's turn to shoot him a death glare. 

"Look, why don't we put our hands in the middle, on the couch. In that way we can sit comfortably." Harry nodded in agreement to Ginny's intelligent suggestion.

"We could cut the watches apart." Remus said. 

Seeing the looks of bewilderment, he continued,

"Use a muggle scissors-" 

Muggle raised, Harry knew exactly what Remus was talking about and cut him off,

"No way! This is made of pure dragon hide leather!" Harry waved his hand around for emphasis.

"Hey!" Ginny yelled in pain. 

"Sorry." He shot her an apologetic smile, a very sweet smile, Ginny could not help note.

"We could use a pliers or something. I have a muggle toolbox. Sirius, could you help me get it." Remus stood up, looking pointedly at his best friend who instantly took the hint. 

"Yeah, okay." They walked out of the living room.

The moment they were out of the earshot from the rest, in front of the storeroom,

"Harry's got it bad for Ginny." Sirius stated softly, as Remus unlocked the door with his wand. 

"I figured." 

"No, you didn't see what I saw." 

With that Sirius proceeded to tell Remus what had happened that morning. 

"Weren't there really close some time back during Hogwarts?" Remus frowned thoughtfully.

"Lumos." Sirius shone the light from his wand around the musty storeroom before responding,

"I think so. Harry used to talk about her quite a bit during his sixth year, I think." 

"It stopped after a while though." Remus continued a sudden scheming shine in his brown eyes. 

Sirius liked that look in his fellow Marauder.

"You think we should re-ignite whatever they had?"

"Something like that." Remus muttered glancing at the floor, where the toolbox lay.

"Forget the toolbox?" Sirius pointed to the red and white toolbox, with visible distaste.

"Forget it." Remus stated, sealing their wonderful plan to give their marauder protégé a nudge towards the lovely path of love.

**A/n: **

**Yes, I forgot to put the disclaimer in for the previous chappie but that conversation was inspired by Little Women..Some bits of conversations in the future chappies will be inspired by movies and books as well..**

**Btw the watches stuck together idea I got from the Swatch advertisment..don't know if you have seen it..its different though..this guy and girl are snogging and their watch gets stuck so VERY different context**

**I refuse to believe that Sirius is dead..so he is alive and kicking in this story..**

**I LOVE your reviews.. would thank you all individually and you guys ALL rock my world.**

**Do let me know if you think this chapter is too short..and even if it is, does the content make up for it..or is this chapter very blah..i feels its very blah..am very self critical.so ciao for now..but if I added more, I would not be able to end it nicely..so live with it..next chappie will be more exciting promise..**

**Next chapter - Harry and his feelings, Fred eating mayo? And more awkward Harry Ginny situations.MUAHAHAHA. **

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	8. The one with the Illusion

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**The one with Illusion**

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"How exactly did your watches get stuck?" George asked, leaning forward with the look of abated anticipation. 

"Yeah." Ron echoed, wondering why he had not thought about that earlier. He had felt keenly suspicious about the whole thing.

Harry looked extremely guilty while the Weasley blush was not doing Ginny any favour either.

"Oh-" Harry began.

"Actually.." Ginny trailed off, not knowing exactly how to save her face. She gnawed her bottom lip in trepidation.

Harry glanced at Ginny and vowed never to look at her again, for she looked so pitifully nervy and so beautifully seductive at the same time that he was sure he was mad as it was impossible for someone to incite sympathy and lust at the same moment. But there he was caught in a romantic reverie by just looking at her, just as he had all those years ago.

This time, there were no excuses, no dreams to blame on, not even a lack of sobriety. 

He had fallen in love for the second time in his life, on the same person for reasons he could not even begin to comprehend. 

That was why when he glanced back to see the eager beaver looks on the twins' and Ron's faces, he knew he had to say something, anything to get himself out of this peculiarly unpleasant experience of falling in love.

Forcing himself not to meet Ginny's eye,

"She… was trying - trying to hit me and I-eh-grabbed her hand so she wouldn't hit me." Harry explained, feebly. 

Ginny did not explode as he had expected her to. It was then he realized one of the reasons why he was so inexplicably attracted to her-it was her quirky, animated intelligence. She was clever enough to know that only such a blatant lie could salvage them. 

The twins had burst out laughing at Harry's explanation.  Ron began to smile, the look of doubt fading from his eyes - a bit too slowly for Harry's liking though. 

"Our Ginny, the Queen of Sass!" Fred crowed, laughing. Ginny's lips were pressed together in a thin, humourless smile.

"Ginny's always been a tough cookie." Remus shot her a fatherly smile as he entered the room, Sirius behind him.

"Where's the toolbox?" Harry asked, noticing their empty hands.

"We couldn't find it." Sirius replied smoothly.

Remus sat down beside the Ginny, a look of practiced nonchalance on his face. 

"Then, what are we going to do?" Ginny asked, her voice laced with unvarnished despair. 

Remus almost regretted his decision. He always had a soft spot for Ginny, ever since teaching her at Hogwarts and working with her in the DA. Though Harry had been part of it because of his destiny, Ron and Hermione because they were his friends, Ginny only did it for the **sole minded** purpose for taking Voldermort down, once and for all. She had incredibly talent and skill as well, winning the respect of Remus, her fellow DA members and some Aurors of the Order who offered her the Auror position after the war. 

Sirius knew that look on Remus' face all too well. The hazel eyes softening with pity pooled in them only meant one thing - giving in to the other party, forgoing a well-planned prank. 

Before Remus could spoil their little scam,

"We'll think of something."  Sirius shot the young woman a reassuring smile.

Fred who had returned from scrounging the kitchen, with a bottle and a spoon, settled in an armchair and began scooping out the contents of the bottle and eating it.

He paused for a moment.

"There's something wrong with this yoghurt."  
  


Remus glanced across the room at him**. "**Ah, that's not yoghurt, that's mayonnaise... "  
  


 "Ah, right-o then." Fred nodded, continuing to eat it. 

"I need to go to the washroom." Ginny spoke up. 

Harry went as red as her hair while Sirius concealed his laughter in a violent coughing fit. Ron looked momentarily dismayed while the twins smirked.

"I could stand outside while you go in." Harry offered, surprised that was capable of such a sensible train of thought. He was very proud of himself.

Ginny shot him a grateful smile before standing up. They walked out of the room, heading down the hallway to the bathroom, in awkward silence. 

"How do you want to do this?" Ginny asked, avoiding his eyes.

"You go in, leave the door ajar. I will face the other way and stand outside…" 

Ginny nodded, feeling as shy and as embarrassed as the first time she saw Harry at The Burrow, all those years ago. She slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar for their hands. 

Harry stood as near to the door as possible, back facing it. He waited patiently, attempting to make his mind as devoid of lewd images as possible. Was it his fault Ginny was just too beautiful for her own good? Was it his fault that she made him feel as hot and confused as a teenager?

"Thanks." Her voice interrupted his mental ramification.

Harry turned around and moved aside so that she could step out of the bathroom.

"Not like I had a choice." He nodded towards their conjoined hands.

Ginny sighed wearily, looking down at their hands. She felt a tad to embarrassed to look Harry in the eye. This was probably the first time that they were alone together and _not_ ignoring each other.

"Pity Siamese twins." 

Just then she received an mmail.

"Luna. She wanted to know where I put her necklace." Ginny explained to Harry, while replying to the mmail. 

She had an inane urge to keep the conversation going; as the silence between them would be highly awkward. Keeping it casual was the way to go.

Harry nodded, cracking his head to say something, _anything_ to keep this 'once-in-a-blue-moon' moment going.

"You're pretty close to her eh?" Harry asked, not moving, wanting to prolong this private moment with Ginny a bit longer. 

Sure it was no lovers' intimacy but it reminded him of the friendship they once had. Almost as if nothing had happened and they were still close friends.

 "We were instant best friends. Two people who understood each other without having to say a word." Ginny smiled wistfully, wondering what Luna would say about her present situation with Harry. Nothing like some skewered feminine perspective from Miss. Lovegood.

"Can't say the same for Ron and myself." Harry joked.

Ginny burst out laughing, startling Harry. He felt a surge of pleasure that he could still make her laugh. 

She used to think he was the funniest thing that ever happened, with his wry sense of humor, so unlike her brothers' slapstick goofy sense of humor that she had been brought up with. It seemed that she still thought so.

It was in that moment of precious laughter, he joining her in her contagious fit, that all past awkwardness mysteriously dissipated so that as they walked back to the living room, Ginny began to blackmail him about making fun of her brother's thick headedness. It was almost like the _good old days_.

*          *          *          *          *          *

Sirius was about to get up and go into the kitchen to grab some food, after Harry and Ginny had left when a ear-splitting 'crack' startled him as a tall, voluptuous, brown haired witch appeared right in the middle of his path. 

She barely even noticed him, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Remus. Sirius stood there frozen in disbelief that a woman had not noticed _him_ and checked _him_ out. She had to be gay then.

"Remus! Hey, where's Zedka?" She flashed him a brilliantly exuberant smile, a smile that lit up the whole room so that for a moment all Sirius could see was her face. He blinked, wondering if the twins had already got to work spiking the food in the house.

"She's up in the west wing. She'll be glad to see you." Remus stood up to embrace the woman. 

"I'm sure she will. She mmailed me that Ginny was tied up, _literally_." She dissolved into laughter at her own joke, her dimples giving her face a girlish look as she laughed. Her steel blue eyes held an attractive glow.

The twins exchanged amused glances.

"Reminds me of Luna." Ron commented softly, receiving dark looks from Fred.

Sirius was apalled by this gorgeous creature. Remus was behaving just as indespicably by not introducing him.

Remus smiled benignly, unaware of this, or pretending to be unaware.

"Go on then."

"You okay?" She asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, Christine. It's Zedka who needs you." With another brilliant smile and a curt nod, she was gone. 

Remus turned to sit back in the couch, oblivious to Sirius' dirty looks.

After expelling a long breath and deciding to forgo his pride, 

"Who was she?" Sirius asked.

Remus looked up at his friend surprised. Understanding dawned on him as he realized three things. 

No.1 That a _woman_ had just ignored Sirius

No.2 A pretty beautiful woman at that

No.3 He had failed to introduce him to her

He struggled to hold back a smirk.

"Zedka's cousin and good friend, Christine Madriani. She's the other bridesmaid." 

Sirius did not say anything else for Harry and Ginny had returned, looking in much better spirits.

"Did you go to the toilet as well, Harry?" George asked, grinning.

"Shut it, George." Ginny spoke up for him. 

Ron bit back a smile. Even Harry looked mildly surprised that Ginny was speaking up for him. 

"Who came by?" Ginny asked Remus, upon sitting down beside him. She had heard the familiar crack of someone apparating.

"Chris."

"She's supposed to do my hair!" Ginny moaned, realizing how impossible that was now that she was stuck to Harry. 

"You know what, let's cut the watches." Harry decided instantly, seeing the disappointed anguished look on Ginny's face. 

Remus looked at him surprised, before glancing at Sirius who looked extremely preoccupied, a look of intense concentration in his eyes. He would have to make this decision himself.

"You sure, Harry?" Even Ginny was looking at Harry as if he had grown another head.

"I can always buy another watch.." He trailed off, his eyes fixed on Ginny's for a moment. She nodded her head almost imperceptibly and Harry, having sought her approval, looked towards Remus.

"You know what?" Remus started, "I think the toolbox was up in the attic all this while. _Accio_ Toolbox." With a swish of his wand, the toolbox whizzed into the room, right into his lap.

After ten minutes of struggling with the tough leather, the watches finally came apart. Ron flexed his fingers, grimacing from clenching them too tightly around muggle equipment. 

"Thank you soo much!" Ginny looked ebullient as she kissed Remus and Ron both on the cheek and turned around to face Harry. 

So caught up in the joy of being free was Ginny that she threw her arms around him impulsively enveloping him in a hug. Even Ron could not miss the look of pleasant surprise on Harry's face as he hugged her back, a little bit longer than necessary.

"Hey grabby hands, step away from the sister. " Bill's voice filled the air, clear authority in it as he stepped out of the fireplace. 

His eyes were dancing with bemusement as Harry backed away from Ginny embarrassedly. The handsome young man made a face as he dusted the soot off his stylish navy Gringott robes. Bill had been promoted from curse breaker to venture capitalist recently. Ginny spun around to face her favourite brother. 

'Bill!" She crowed hugging him as he leaned down to embrace her. A look of pure delight was on her face. Harry felt an unexpected stab of jealousy – would she ever smile at him like that?

"Hey Gin-Gin." Bill murmured in her ear, before kissing her on the top of her head. 

"I have to go get dressed for the Wedding later. So I'll see you okay?" She beamed up at him. He nodded.

With a peck on his cheek, she departed for the West Wing humming tunelessly under her breath. 

Bill turned to face the rest of them, smiling amiably in greeting before speaking to Sirius.

"I'm sorry I am so late. Bollocksed up at work again, I fear. Millions down the drain." He explained with a grimace.

"Late for what?" Remus asked, puzzled.

"The wedding starts in five hours time." Ron pointed out, smirking at his eldest brother. Bill pretended to ignore him, planning to deal with Ron later on.

"You thought it started at 12 didn't you?" Sirius asked, looking pointedly at Bill who quickly nodded his head agreeing. 

Remus however, could not be hoodwinked by his oldest best friend. Something was up. He would be on his guard. Even Harry looked downright dodgy.

"Where's Van?" Harry asked, referring to Bill's fiancé, changing the topic as casually a possible.

"I'll have to go back and fetch her later." 

"Why don't you sit down, Bill." Sirius motioned to the armchair by the fireplace. 

Bill frowned at him, tilting his head ever so slightly to the field outside. Sirius shook his head, gesturing for him to sit. Bill sat, not before glancing at his watch.

"When's _your_ wedding?" Remus asked, choosing to ignore all the apparently suspicious behaviour.

"Soon." Bill smiled, like a boy on Christmas morning.

Sirius snorted cynically.

**"**It's true love, my friend." Bill defended. 

Sirius shook his head.

"_Love_, love, you know what love is? Love is an illusion created by lawyer types like yourself to perpetuate another illusion called marriage to create the reality of divorce and then the illusionary need for divorce lawyers." 

"I agree. Marriage is a concept invented by people who were lucky to make it to 20 without being eaten by dinosaurs. Marriage is extinct." George added his two knuts worth.   
  


**"**Dinosaurs are extinct. Marriage is still around." Ron retorted.

"You are just pissed off and bitter because you have not had sex in... how long? What is it... a year... maybe two? Refresh my memory please, Sirius. Haven't you heard of the sexual revolution?" Remus asked, hitting Sirius in his weak spot, knowingly getting him all worked up.

**"**Who won, huh? Nobody. Used to be sex was the only free thing, No longer. Alimony... palimony... it's all financial. Love is an illusion." Sirius emphasized his point, by slamming his fist in his hand as he spoke. 

"It's the only illusion that counts, my friend." Remus cleverly pointed out.   
  


**"**Says who?" 

"Anyone who's been in love."   
  


**"**Love sucks."   
  


**"**So does your attitude." Harry spoke up, perturbed by his godfather's pessimism.

"Whatever. It maybe for you idealistic souls and I am definitely not stopping you'll from going and doing your thing. I encourage it in fact but it is definitely not for me. I'm an island!"

"Mr. Island, could I have a word?" Harry stood up and beckoned both Sirius and Bill to follow him. Together they left the living room.

Remus acted uninterested. It was no use attempting to wheedle it out of any of them. He would find out sooner or later.

**_A/n: Sorry for this sucky chapter..it's just a transition chappie so bear this..I promise the next chapter will be a blast – an hour before the wedding, bride getting the nerves, Sirius and Cris finally meet and argue, the Italian family arrives, Harry and Blaise tension, Harry and Ginny bumping into each other, Harry coming clean with his feelings but is Ginny listening???_**

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Forgive my grammatical errors cos I dun have a beta readers and dun want one cos its pretty annoying to have to rely on someone who has their own schedule etc..

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**_ANYTHING that you recognise is NOT MINE..so dun sue me..puh lease!!!!!!!!!!_**

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**_Sirius Christine action is just a side plot – the main one's HG..there will be quite a number of side plots but dun worry..it will all link back to HG..any special requests for any ships let me know and I can try to fit them in..trying to make this to be a little like Love Actually – all the interconnecting love stories.._**

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	9. The one with the Cannoli

**THE ONE WITH THE CANNOLI**

Disclaimer: Anything you see or recognise is not mine….

* * *

Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open and he glanced around, noticing the coppery waves of hair that spread like a halo on the pillow next to his; framing Ginny's innocent face as she slept. Harry smiled to himself, leaning down and entangling his hands in those waves, burying his face in it, inhaling her uniquely cinnamon scent. 

Ginny turned around then and snuggled into his embrace, still fast asleep. Suddenly her eyes flew open and she slapped him hard on his cheek. Harry sat up with a jolt, his vision bleary without his spectacles. Something was hitting him on the head.

"Stop! Stop! Hey!" Harry held out a hand in protest as he groped for his spectacles.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, putting on his glasses, as his best friend, hit him yet again with a pillow. "What are you doing?"

"Waking you up," stated Ron matter-of-factly before throwing the pillow in his best friend's face and hurrying out of the room.

Harry could not help but grin amusedly at Ron's antics. There was something in the air – a charged anticipation of the most significant event in cycle of love. Harry stood up, fully awake after his afternoon nap. A look outside showed him that everything was set for the wedding.

The two wings of the sprawling mansion curved slightly toward the front, encircling a large garden, which led to an even larger field beyond, all of which Harry could see from where he stood. There were two huge gazebos set up in the snow-covered grounds of Godric Valley. The larger gazebo was for the wedding banquet, the other for the wedding ceremony itself. Harry smiled, the archway to the smaller gazebo was splendid, a great choice on Zedka's part.

A red-carpeted path was magically elevated a few inches off the snow-covered ground. It led from the patio of the house to the arched entrance into the wedding gazebo. The same enchanted path led out from the smaller gazebo to the larger one set up specially for the dinner banquet..

Harry walked out of his room and the sounds of people moving about the house greeted him. Then the familiar laughter that he could listen to all day, greeted his ears. He paused in the hallway, hearing another voice, one very much male.

As he peered around the corner, he wished that he had not. For pinned against the wall was Ginny Weasley, with Blaise Zabini leaning into her in a very lecherous manner.

"Blaise, Stop!" gasped Ginny between giggles, as the tall, well-built man tickled her and attempted to kiss her on her lips. Harry watched in morbid fascination; torn with desire, jealousy, and every other vile emotion.

" I mean it, Blaise..." Ginny trailed off as he leaned down to capture her mouth once again, his dark brown and wavy hair falling all over both of their faces.

Then, to Harry's delight, Ginny pushed him away, panting.

"Blaise, stop," she breathed, "this is what's wrong with us. We never talk and you never listen. Here I am telling you what your sister did and all you want to do is snog me...as fun as that is…" she digressed, "What I mean is-"

"I've already told you that Tree's an uptight bitch, right?" Blaise sighed wearily, as Ginny took a step away from him.

"Why can't you just listen to me? I don't want you to condemn you sister like that. Maybe if you paid her more attention, she'd be less hostile to me," Ginny suggested, rather sensibly.

Blaise waved her off, shaking his head. "Please, it'll never work. She just wants the estate," he explained, his dark gray eyes glinting dangerously as he leaned towards her. "And _I_ want _you_," he murmured throatily.

"Stop IT!" Ginny protested as he attempted once more to kiss her lips and neck.

Harry decided that he had more than enough of this. It was time he became proactive in this area of his life in his life. After all, he and Ginny were back to being friends, and he was sure that the list of duties that their friendship entailed included protection from perverted ex-boyfriends.

"Harry." Ginny's eyes went wide, her face gaining a bit too much colour as she noticed Harry turning the corner. She pushed Blaise away from her, looking much more embarrassed than the tall, handsome Italian.

"Hey, Gin." Harry flashed her a reassuring smile before nodding in the general direction of Zabini, who in turn shot him a disgruntled smile.

As Harry walked past them, he heard Zabini asking Ginny in a rather disdainful voice, "What's with him calling you 'Gin'?"

"It's nothing, just a childhood name," she explained.

Harry paused for a moment, hoping to hear how Zabini would respond. Unfortunately, he was met with silence. Suddenly, something collided with him from behind, causing him to stumble forward and nearly lose his balance.

He turned around to see Ginny struggling to get up, her feet caught in her robes. Harry, having regained his footing, held out his hand to her. She ignored his outstretched hand and struggled to stand up, looking pitifully morose. Ginny did not like the way the past hour had gone – confronting Blaise and now colliding clumsily with Harry.

"I am profoundly and irreversibly screwed up!" She sighed heavily, glancing at Harry. He shook his head, fixing his gaze upon her.

"Far from it." The look in his eyes made her feel as if the entire world had stopped spinning and there was only she and he. She tried to breathe but all she could think about was how wonderful it would be to have him look at her like that for the rest of her life – so full of faith, love and desire.

Or maybe her wild imagination, or need for him to look at her that way was tainting her perception. She averted her gaze and looked at the floor, feeling heat rise in her cheeks.

Harry cleared his throat, realizing that he had let his well-used façade slip. "I, I…it's just that…"

"Don't try to make me feel better, Harry. It just makes me feel worse," Ginny told him. Then with a mild, sad sort of smile, she walked off.

Harry watched her go and knew he was inevitably done for.

He headed towards the master bedroom of the west wing where Remus, Sirius, and the other groomsmen were supposed to be getting ready.

When Harry walked in, he noticed Ron's face plastered to the huge window that grazed one wall of the spacious room. Harry made his way to stand beside his best friend and instantly noticed what held Ron's attention.

A car had glided out of a cloud in the sky and was descending toward the driveway. This was not just a car though, this was a custom made Italian Lamborghini. The other cars that eventually came to a halt behind it were of different makes, but all jaw droppingly sleek and stylish. And even more of these cars were appearing from out of the clouds above.

"Flying Porsches," Ron murmured, awestruck.

"Are you cursing or making an observation?" Fred teased, joining his younger brother at the window.

"My goodness, they have _two_ Ferraris." George piped in, amazed.

"Isn't that a Bugatti Veyron?" Sirius asked, incredulously.

"No. That's definitely a Lamborghini Gallardo." Remus stated, attracting looks of disbelief. "What? I just happen to know my Italian cars," he said smugly, clad only in his bathrobe as he prepared to have a warm shower to cool his nerves.

"They always have to make a grand entrance – these Italians." He commented dryly. Harry could not help but agree.

Just then, Charlie walked in, "The Italians have arrived, and they've brought some food with them. It's in the kitchen. Mrs. Bernoulli's handling it, and she says that it's for the starving groomsmen and bridesmaids."

Remus was not surprised that Zedka's family had turned up with food. Italians were good for that sort of thing. They knew what mattered in this world; that everyone needed food and shelter, that an army ran on its stomach, that children had to be fed, bathed, and put to bed. Except at funerals, (Of which Remus had attended a few to keep Zedka company) when they indulged hysteria at a time when it availed them least, Italians did what needed doing

'Oh, I'm ravenous," Sirius looked hungry instantly. "How about it, Remy?"

"I was going to have a shower. And this reminds me – Sirius, have the caterers arrived?"

"Yes, they have." Sirius answered, a tad exasperated. "You asked me that five times already."

"Just needed to make sure," Remus said, walking towards the bathroom.

'I feel like some cannoli." Harry said, offering to accompany Sirius down to the kitchens.

* * *

'Oh, careful." Sirius warned Harry and Ron, at the sight of the formidable Mr. Patrick Bernoulli; a tall, broad shouldered man with a hefty paunch, a handlebar moustache, and a respectable looking beard tainted with white hair, typical of old age. His behavior was anything but aged though, his voice booming across the kitchen as he invited everyone to take the food that Teresa was helping Mrs. Bernoulli put onto trays. 

"Watch me make putty out of him," Sirius whispered as he made his way through the crowd that milled about in the kitchens, coming in from the patio.

Most of these people were immediate family members of the bride or groom, or just close friends. The other guests would be arriving some time later, in time for the ceremony. Harry trailed after Sirius and caught sight of Ginny and Hermione standing out on the patio, talking.

He never could seem to take his eyes off Ginny, and had come to realize that rarely were people so interesting to watch. That was why observing Ginny was such a pleasure – she was full of countless quirks, and there were so many different facets to her personality. One minute you thought you knew her, and the next minute you realized that you did not. It was a truly amazing odyssey of discovery and laughter to watch her and even talk to her.

Unfortunately, Sirius' kissing up to Remus' fearsome looking father-in-law was also something not to be missed. So, tearing his eyes away from the pretty red head, Harry observed his godfather introduce himself.

"Ah!" Mr. Bernoulli exclaimed. "The best man!"

His wife, who stood beside him, barely paid Mr. Bernoulli any attention. Mrs. Bernoulli was little, light boned, and not at all the stereotypic black- shawled Sicilian mama – she wore her hair in a pageboy and wore a silver moon pin on her plum coloured dress robes.

"That's me," Sirius said, flashing a disarming grin that caught the attention of a few of the hot-blooded Italian women standing around.

"Y'know, they say that the company a man keeps makes him who he is," Mr. Bernoulli commented. It was hard to tell if that was meant as an insult or a compliment.

Sirius was unfazed. "Well, they also say that it takes a man to give away an angel. You're a real man then."

Mr. Bernoulli seemed terribly pleased, laughing loudly, his laughter booming off the kitchen walls like a gong.

"You hear this man?" He pointed a finger at Sirius as Blaise and two other young, handsome Italian men moved towards the counter for some finger food to keep them full until the dinner reception. Blaise shook his head at his uncle while the other two men laughed. One of them caught Harry's eye and smirked in amusement.

"Why aren't you marrying my daughter?" Mr. Bernoulli asked Sirius, only half-jokingly.

Sirius shook his head, smiling benignly, "She doesn't love me. She loves Remus."

"True, true," he conceded.

Then turning to his wife, "_Carissimo_, I think we'd better check on the wedding gazebo." Mr. Bernoulli had an attitude of utmost care and gentleness towards his wife. Harry could not help but admire that. And if he remembered correctly, Remus had told him that the Bernoullis had been married for forty years.

Sylvia Bernoulli nodded and then turned to Sirius and spoke in a soft warm voice, "It's nice to meet such a good friend of Remus'." She shook his hand tenderly.

"Oh pardon me, I've been so rude." Sirius realized. He turned towards Harry and Ron. "I forgot to introduce some other close friends of Remus'. This is my godson, Harry Potter."

"Bellissimo! I heard there would be famous wizards at this wedding. Never thought one of them would be THE Harry Potter," commented the Italian wizard who had caught Harry's eye earlier, standing near them with a plate filled with food.

He was tall, with jet-black hair, and gray-blue eyes framed by thick eyelashes. He was handsome in a boyish way with a lithe sort of build, and when he smiled, his eyes seemed to shine with mirth and mischief.

"V_incenzo_, don't be tactless," Mrs. Bernoulli chided him, as she shook Harry's hand.

"Nice to meet you." Mr. Bernoulli smiled at him and then did the same to Ron when Sirius introduced him.

"_Mangia_. Please eat," Mrs. Bernoulli urged them, smiling, after which the Bernoullis left the kitchen.

"Nice folks," Ron commented.

"You obviously don't know them well," Vincent added knowledgeably. "You cross their paths and you're as good as dead."

Ron looked terrified. Both he and Harry exchanged glances before looking towards the food on the table fearfully, as if it were poisoned. Vincent laughed at them.

"And you are?" Harry asked prodded.

"Vincent Cappadora, cousin of the bride." He thrust his hand out and another round of handshakes followed.

Right after, Harry and Ron grabbed plates and walked around the table with their new acquaintance, trying to decide what looked the most edible, "get the cannolis, they taste good," commented Vincent helpfully.

"So I heard the Brazilian strippers at the stag party last night turned out to be men," Vincent smirked, while Harry choked on his cream horn and Ron looked like he had lost his appetite.

"Were they really?" Ron asked Harry in a half whisper, horrified, "I really didn't notice."

Harry shrugged in response, baffled himself.

The delectable Christine, who was exhausted from all of the various wedding preparations, soon joined Sirius, who had not followed Ron, Harry, and Vincent around the table. She was desperately in need of some food, and as the family saying went, '_a hungry Italian woman is an angry woman_.' Unfortunately, Sirius had never heard that saying and took the last cannoli on the platter, not letting the look of pure irritation on Christine's face discourage him, he was happy to have at least gotten her attention.

"You are the most selfish human being on the planet," she scolded as he made obnoxious noises of appreciation to indicate how good the cannoli tasted.

"Well that's just silly. Have you met everyone on the planet?" Asked Sirius in mock bewilderment. Christine looked just about ready to burst a blood vessel but somehow managed to bite her tongue.

"Why don't you shut up?" She asked, taking a plate and helping herself to the tray of cream horns.

"Why? You're shutting up enough for the both of us." Sirius commented, hoping to get a rise out of the alluring woman.

"Is this you arguing? Because you're horrible at it," she shot back – bite for bite, bullet for bullet.

"Where did you say you were from? Bitchville?" She refused to give him credit by gaping open mouthed at his outright insolence, and instead shot him a dirty look, spun on her heel, and walked out to the patio to join Ginny and Hermione.

"So how'd did it go?" Harry asked Sirius when he caught up with the group.

Harry had observed the scene that had unfolded between Christine and Sirius from across the kitchen. Ron and Vincent, who stood nearby, had become oblivious to everything around them as they were deeply entangled in a conversation about Vincent's car – a custom made Porsche.

"We had a nice few minutes together. She threatened me and I patronized her. Didn't get much to eat, but I thought there was a connection." Harry grinned, taking a deep satisfaction in seeing his usually suave, smooth godfather suffer at the hands of a female.

* * *

"Don't you just hate men?" Christine asked as she joined the two younger women on the patio. 

"Oh Merlin, I wish I did. That would make my life so much easier," Ginny responded.

Hermione shook her head reproachfully. Before she could launch into a lecture about hiding from true love and keeping certain feelings buried for years (her intended recipient being Ginny of course), Luna apparated with a loud 'pop'.

"Hello!" Luna greeted them, looking pretty in periwinkle blue dress robes and earrings made from the artificially blue feathers of the muggle flamingo bird. She hugged Ginny and Christine and patted Hermione's pregnant belly affectionately.

"You look tired," Luna told Hermione.

Ginny closed her eyes, anticipating the outburst. Hermione's mood had not been steady that day largely due to the fact that she was carrying a baby who seemed not to have a penchant for meeting due dates.

"Is that a polite way of saying I look like shit?" Hermione asked, impertinently.

Seeing no possible way to respond without incurring the wrath of this pregnant woman, Luna glanced across the patio for a diversion.

"Fred!" She crowed, at the sight of Fred Weasley, who was standing at a distance, his back facing her.

Fred had been talking to Christine's elder brother, a good looking, and charismatic wizard named Paul Madriani. "Do golfers in Ancient Rome yell 'IV' before teeing off?" Fred had asked him, never getting a response from the amused, earnest man because Luna's voice distracted him.

He turned around, and a wickedly delightful grin crossed his face. Without hesitation, Luna ignored her friends, and the disgusted look on Ginny's face, taking off at a sprint towards Fred.

The moment she got to him, Luna jumped on him, her arms going around his neck and her legs around his hips as she kissed him passionately on the lips. To Fred's credit, though he was surprised, he responded instantly, pulling her closer to him by winding his hands around her waist.

Ginny exchanged mortified looks with Hermione, both attempting to ignore the current display of public affection and failing miserably to do so. Christine had wandered off, saying that she had to do some final touch ups on Zedka's hair.

"If they get married, I'll do the shower," Hermione stated, quite authoritatively, nodding towards Luna and Fred.

"I'll do the pictures," Ginny offered.

"I'll do the groomsmen," Freda added as she walked past them on her way back to the room to help Zedka get ready, already having scavenged some of the Italian food from the kitchen for herself. They had been barred from eating in the room because the mere sight of any food was making Zedka nauseous. The bride-to-be was getting increasingly nervous by the hour.

Ignoring the looks of mock revulsion on Hermione and Ginny's faces, Freda smiled, "Ginny, you'd better come up soon and put on your dress."

Across the room, Luna and Fred had finally come up for air.

"Good. That was very good," Luna commented dreamily, a broad smile on her face. Then, adopting a seriously somber look, she added, "I'm sorry I didn't owl you on your birthday."

"My birthday? What do you mean?" Fred was puzzled as he eased his hold on Luna and she dropped back to her feet.

"Yes, last Thursday. Oh, you forgot your birthday, didn't you, Fred?"

"Damn it. I'm such an idiot." Fred slapped his forehead with his palm and then leaned down to kiss his girlfriend once more. Who could blame him? They had barely seen each other in the past week.

"Break it up, people," said Bill who had just arrived with his fiancée Van. They were both fresh and well dressed in their immaculate and stylish dress robes. The kissing couple jumped a mile apart, startled. Ginny and Hermione, who had been watching giggled.

"Ah, Fred, you and I have to have a chat." Fred glanced up at his sober faced elder brother.

"What about?" He asked, looking bewildered.

"Fred, what did you promise me?"

He frowned hard in concentration, and then snapped his fingers as he remembered. "That I wouldn't drink at the stag party," he said with a triumphant grin. Luna squeezed his arm; filled with pride that Fred remembered _something._ His memory was becoming a bit of a joke around the family.

"And what did you do?" Bill asked, straight faced even though Van was practically shaking with mirth beside him.

"Drank at the stag pa--... Whoa. I almost walked into that one."

Ginny was gasping for air as she doubled over with laughter at her brother's antics. When she calmed herself enough to straighten up, she found herself staring into a pair of intense emerald green eyes that she had been trying not to think about the whole of that day.

"Harry." She smiled at him, feeling something in her throat constrict.

Why did he always look at her in that way? Why did no other man ever look at her like that? Like she was the centerpiece of his universe, a statue on a pedestal. She could not help wondering just briefly, what it would be like to kiss Harry again. Would it be the same, or better, or worse?

After all, they were both different people from whom they had been that summer. So many events, incidents, relationships, and experiences had transformed them into who they were today. Would Harry ravage her with the same unrepressed passion, or would his kiss be a plainly neat, tidy, and controlled affair just like most things in his life were now?

So there she was, standing there, staring at Harry's lips – they were neither thick nor thin but, they looked rather soft and she remembered how soft they had actually felt on hers.

"I see your brothers are up to their usual nonsense," he commented dryly. She smiled. Ginny had the best smile in the world, Harry would certainly grant her that.

"Heh. At least you were spared the sight of Fred and Luna in action." Ginny grimaced. Harry laughed a throaty deep laugh that made Ginny feel unsteady on her feet.

"They're so public about their affection, eh?" Harry had witnessed his fair share of the exuberant couple already.

It was then that Ginny realized that though Harry seemed so completely changed, he was still so thoroughly familiar. He had always been uncomfortable about being unnaturally affectionate in the presence of other people and had envied people who could do so without qualms.

"Oh well, to each its own," Ginny told him.

He looked so adrift then; so swamped in dark thoughts of loneliness and unrequited love that Ginny had the urge to reach out to him. Instead, she took a step back and nearly stumbled, Harry put his hand out to steady her.

Harry had thought of Ginny Weasley every day since the day when he last held her. Now he supposed he was staring. He had been staring at her the whole of today, trying to puzzle out how this woman had charmed him into desiring her with such intensity.

"Can't believe we have less than an hour to the wedding," Ginny told him, just to say something, just to stop him from staring.

"You say it like its our wedding," Harry blurted out and then started, stunned at his own words. _Idiot_ he immediately thought to himself. But that was what Ginny did to him – she threw him off balance, made him talk without thinking.

Ginny laughed a short chuckle of disbelief. Had he just said what she heard him say? _Something very odd is going on here_, Ginny thought. She felt that odd line of heat across her skin. Most people were moving off, either to the gazebo in the field or into the house to get ready, but neither Harry nor Ginny made a move to leave.

"Marriage is such an absolute thing. I can't imagine what it must be like for Remus and Zedka to take such a step," Ginny voiced her thoughts.

"It's easy for them, I suppose, because they love each other and are almost like best friends. You have to be really comfortable around the person you want to spend the rest of your life with," Harry reasoned.

It was probably the warmth of the house's heating system that was making it difficult for Ginny to breathe. She wished she had a paper bag to blow into. She wished her nerves were steadier. "It's incredibly difficult nowadays to find someone you can trust completely."

"No, it isn't." Harry did not know what else he could say without explicitly offering himself to her. Had he always been so dumb in Ginny's presence, so startled into stupidity?

"I think we'd better go back up and get ready," said Ginny, taking another step backward, and backing right into the glass screen door that lead to the gardens.

The glass was cold on her skin but Ginny did not care. For some reason, she was burning up through and through. She felt hot all over and completely turned inside out.

As Harry stood there watching her, he realized that a scent other than cinnamon lingered around her. Ginny Weasley gave off the odor of roses in spring, the same seductive scent that filled his dreams at night.

"I'll see you around then," Ginny told him, preparing to walk off. From the look on his face, she wondered if she had said something wrong. Harry appeared panic stricken, as though he might turn, dash out through the sliding glass door, and run out into the gardens.

He nodded, and attempted to smile at her. As she walked past him and headed out of the kitchen and up the spiral stairs, she felt as though she were drowning somehow.

* * *

"Who makes these things?" Zedka sounded nothing like her usually unaffected self as she fought with her bridal veil. 

"Calm down. The veil is not attacking you," Freda commented, bemused by her best friend's spate of hysterics.

Christine, who was engulfed in gales of mirthful laughter managed to choke out, "I think she needs some of your claming potion, Gin."

"I do not." Zedka snapped testily. Ginny, who had only just walked into the room, was startled out of her romantic reverie. She eyed Zedka warily; she had never really seen her lose her cool before.

Maybe once or twice during the War, Zedka might have lost it, but with Remus around, she somehow seemed much more held together. He was the calm in her storm, her pillar of strength, Ginny mused. She could not help but wonder who had that exact affect on her. It took less than a second for her to realize whom.

No matter how much Harry made her feel as though she were on fire, his presence had a calming effect on her. What a paradox. But then again, Harry himself was a paradox; he was an enigma who could be surprisingly transparent about his emotions at times.

"Fifteen minutes more," Tonks announced, popping her head in through the door. "You have to go down and wait outside the entrance, so hurry, ladies," she chided gently before disappearing.

"Oh Merlin! I'm never going to get through this ceremony, poor Remus," Zedka sighed, wringing her hands worriedly.

"Zed, _rilassarsi_. You are going to marry Remus. Even if we are a bit late, he will wait for you. You know he will," Freda told her best friend sensibly.

Zedka seemed to draw into herself at those words, calming down slightly as she sat down on the chair by the dressing table. Ginny, who had already gotten her hair and make-up done, slipped on her bridesmaid's dress robes. They were made of silk and velvet in the lightest shade of peach and with a low cut neckline.

"He loves me, doesn't he?" Zedka asked suddenly, coming out of her silent self-reflection.

"More than you could ever imagine," Ginny told her confidently; while checking her own reflection in the full-length mirror to make sure that her hair had not come undone. Christine would pull a fit if it did. Her tresses had been carefully braided up, with dusty white roses entwined prettily in them. Christine had done the same for herself and Freda.

Freda gathered the long skirts of her robes and sat down beside Zedka, smiling she put an arm around her. "Be happy for this moment, this moment is your life."

Zedka nodded, "I love him too. I know I do, I mean love cannot always be perfect. Love is love," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

Zedka stood up then, her lips lifted in a resolute, determined smile. "Let's get a move on girls. I need to go get married to the love of my life."

* * *

"Is my gray hair obvious?" Remus asked, in a rare fit of vanity. 

The groom, the best man, and the ring bearer all were in the master bedroom getting ready for the wedding that had been touted by Witch Weekly as the social event of the year. This was because Remus happened to be on the most recent list of the most eligible wizards in country, and because Zedka was from a high profile Italian family.

"It's only as obvious as the little fact that our Harry here has got a thing for Ginny Weasley," Sirius observed in with an irritating drawl.

Remus shook his head resignedly and stopped fussing about in the mirror. Harry had it about up to his eyeballs with all the teasing and innuendos about him and Ginny. It was time to come clean.

Harry took a deep breath before speaking. "You're right. I want to go out with Ginny. I'd like her to be my girlfriend, here I said it."

For some reason, Harry did not feel worse, but better, as if the load he had been carrying around had been halved. Now that he had told at least two people, maybe they could help him out of his predicament.

"How brilliant!" Sirius crowed, looking into the mirror while styling his hair with the help of ten odd types of hair styling gels and charms.

Harry however had decided that he was not done. This voicing out of bottled up emotions felt extremely good to him. "I've been feeling this way ever since that summer at Hogwarts when I kissed her. It's as if I've taken love heroin, and now I can't ever have it again."

"All men are pawns when it comes to women," said Sirius sagely as he studied his hair in the mirror, it looked perfect to him.

"Ignore our Don Juan over here," said Remus, "Ginny doesn't know how you feel about her, does she?"

Harry shook his head despondently.

Remus continued, "Zedka says that if you love someone you should say it, and you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just passes you by."

"Passes you by Harry - Passes you by..." Sirius added, mocking Remus' wise tone.

Remus ignored Sirius and met Harry's keen gaze, "Tell her that you love her. You've got nothing to lose, and you'll always regret it if you don't."

"Yes, tell her, just bite the bullet," Sirius added, smiling encouragingly at his godson. He chanced a last glance at the mirror – he looked damn good for an over forty year old if he said so himself.

Remus gave Sirius a pleased smile, "You learn fast."

Sirius grimaced. "Love's for everyone but me. I am an island. I am bloody Ibiza!"

Dave, a friend of Remus' and one of the groomsmen, opened the door and peered in, "Good, you're ready. It's time, mates." After flashing a consoling grin, he was gone.

Remus drew in a shaky breath as he exchanged glances with Harry and Sirius. "Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love," he declared with a wry smile, leading the way out of the room.

**_TBC_**

* * *

**Italian – English Translations:**

_Cannoli_: Deliciously sinful Italian snack

_Rilassarsi_: Relax

_Mangia_: Eat

_Carissimo_: Dearest

_Bellissimo:_ Swell (Something like wow!)

**

* * *

****Author's Note**

I'm back, people! FINALLY eh? I was stuck on my D/G fic and decided to return to my roots for now – H/G fanfic all the way!

I've done the next two chapters as well... only in need of some touching up... Don't worry this story is NOT going to end anytime soon…unless you want it to of course… Hehe… I love being evil.

Apologies for how long it took to get this chapter up…

Could NEVER give up this story…(might write and NOT post it if I don't get reviews...evil me strikes again) this is one of my more brilliant ideas – if I say so myself…

I have taken lines from the books I've read and movies I've watched and put it together with my own lines and viola! If u recognise anything don't shoot me... I am no dirty whore – have never even had a boyfriend and I'm eighteen!

I LOVE Italians – the hot men, the gorgeous fashions, the flow-y language, the sexy cars, the heart wrenchingly beautiful art, the eye popping artifacts and historical architecture, the mouth watering food… Mama Mia!

So as you can see, I am having TONS of fun writing this piece – hell, it's my favourite Harry Potter characters and my favourite Italians, all together…

What's been up with me lately – nothing much except that ALL my friends insist I'm in love with my best guy friend something which I'm furiously denying…He kind of inspired the physical appearance of Vincent Cappadora…that's not his name though… My BGF's Eurasian.

Also, any questions you have please address it to me in your reviews… Forgive any grammatical mistakes...largely due to absence of a reliable beta reader…

Next chapter – THE WEDDING ITSELF! More Harry Ginny action, Fleur turns up causing some unexpected troubles and what is going on between Fred and Luna?

RE**VIEW! REVIEW! GODDESS OF REVIEWS DEMANDS MORE REVIEWS! AS OFFERING FOR NEXT CHAPTER!**


	10. The one with the Wedding

**THE ONE WITH THE WEDDING**

Disclaimer: Anything you see or recognise is not mine….

* * *

Luna found herself seated on one of the pews, in between Neville who had rushed off to the washroom and some sweet looking elderly Italian lady. Fred was seated with the rest of his family a few rows down. 

"Are you married?" The lady asked her, after exchanging friendly smiles.

"No." Luna gave the usual answer to the usual question. That would most likely end their conversation unless this was another zealous old lady who wanted every young girl to suffer that same fate that she had – marriage, children and watching the man you spent half your life loving, drool in his food in his ripe old age.

Instead, the old lady asked, "Are you a lesbian?"

Luna stared at the old woman, no longer thinking of her as just sweet but sweet _and_ quirky. Curiosity got the better of her, of course. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, it is one of the possibilities for unmarried girls nowadays, and it's rather more interesting than saying, "Oh dear, never met the right chap," eh?"

"Quite right. Why be dull?" Luna agreed wholeheartedly.

"Thank you."

After a long pause as the chamber music filtered the air and guests continued to file in, Luna glanced at the lady and spoke, "I was a lesbian once at school, but only for about fifteen minutes."

* * *

A few rows down, Bill glanced around, absent-mindedly scanning the guests seated in the gazebo and those latecomers who were taking their seats. A familiar flash of blonde hair and a tall, slender figure caught his eye. He knitted his eyebrows in a frown. 

"What's wrong?" Van who was sitting beside him, asked. He shook his head, distracted.

Lowering his voice so that Van would not hear him, "What's Fleur Delacour doing here?" He asked Charlie who was sitting on his right.

Charlie turned his head to scan the crowd for his elder brother's ex-girlfriend. He knew that they had not had an exactly amiable breakup – there had been a lot of tears, hysterics and yelling, not all from Fleur.

"A friend of the Bernoullis?" Charlie offered, uncertainly.

"No, she worked with Zedka in the war." Fred, who had heard the entire exchange from his seat on Charlie's right, informed them.

"Oh." Bill looked none too happy.

"Ah, don't worry. She won't bother you."

"It's not that, Charlie. I just don't like her being around. It'll be awkward."

Bill turned to Van who had poked him in the arm. "Stop whispering with your brothers. Haven't you learnt that you Weasley boys can never whisper?" She teased with a knowing smile.

Bill blinked in surprise, undecided on how exactly to react.

"So what if Fleur is here? Doesn't matter to me." Van shrugged, nonchalant. Bill's face broke into a handsome grin of relief.

* * *

At the altar, the bridegroom and his groomsmen had taken their places and were waiting for Zedka to arrive. Remus stood in front of the Justice of Peace, a benevolent old man with a long white beard who reminded him distinctly of the late Professor Dumbledore. Sirius was standing beside him. Harry and other grooms men were standing directly behind. 

"All these weddings, all these years, all that blasted salmon and champagne and here I am on my own wedding day, and I'm... eh... em... eh... still thinking." Remus trailed off.

"Well, can I ask about what?" Sirius asked, in a half whisper.

**"**No... no... I think, best not." Remus replied.

Sirius glanced at his best friend to ascertain that he was lost in his own thoughts before looking over at Harry who gave him a thumb's up as if to indicate everything would go according to plan.

Remus, however, caught this action and closed his eyes momentarily, as if in great pain. "Sirius, no surprises right?"

"Not at all." Sirius lied through his teeth, looking Remus right in the eye. Remus sighed, obviously not believing his fellow Marauder one bit.

The first notes of the 'Here comes the bride' filled the air. Remus' eyes were fixed on the entrance beyond the arch, as he stood rigid in anticipation.

As Zedka stepped into the wedding hall and walked down the aisle on her father's arm, she looked at Remus through the veil - she felt her fears and doubts disappear and thought that she was the luckiest girl in the world. She felt her heart brimming with love and adoration for him.

She had on ivory silk wedding dress robes that nipped in at the waist. It had translucent cap sleeves, and fell around her feet with a twelve-foot long train, which required the three bridesmaids and maid-of-honor to carry. She had on a hat as well – ivory colored like the dress, with a dusty-white silk flower at the brim, a white that matched the white roses in the bouquet she is holding. The veil was attached to the front of the hat, concealing her face.

The entire gazebo had fallen silent with the occasional hushed whispering and the beautiful notes of the organ music resounding around them.

When they reached the altar, her father kissed her on the cheek tenderly. She looked up into her father's dove colored eyes – they were filled with unshed tears. She squeezed his hand as she stepped up to the altar to stand beside Remus.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered her to witness the union of Zedka RosettaBernoulli and Remus Jiles Lupin…." The justice of the peace intoned, beginning the ceremony.

* * *

Remus placed the ring Harry passed him on Zedka's finger and for a moment held it there. She looked at his fingers on the silver, at the gleam of silver itself. He was wearing his official Ministry dress robes for the occasion, navy blue dress robes in which he looked handsome to her. 

The Justice of Peace spoke, in clear solemn tones, "Marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety, than the single life; it hath more care, but less danger, it is more merry, and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows, and fuller of joys; it lies under more burdens, but it is supported by all the strengths of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful."

Then with a big smile at the couple in front of him, "With that, I pronounce you man and wife. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the utmost pleasure and honor to present you, **_Mr. And Mrs. Lupin_**."

Remus lifted the veil off his wife's face for a kiss that was anything but chaste and exceptionally prolonged. The wide brimmed hat slipped from Zedka's head and she barely noticed. It was to raucous catcalls and loud applause that they broke apart, the length of smiles on both their faces identical.

"That kiss belongs in a box, so I can show my grandkids some day." Zedka whispered to him.

Remus laughed, "_Ti amo_. I'll always love you." He said to her, eyes full of tender longing.

He turned to Sirius with a smile that rivaled the North Star, "Looks like you resisted the temptation for surprises." Sirius nodded, biting back a smug smile.

Zedka hooked her arm through Remus' as he led her down the aisle, towards the archway that was put up at the end, marking the entrance. Halfway down the aisle though, the loud organ music that had been playing seemed to change its tune all of a sudden, playing the first notes of a rather familiar sounding song.

A chorus of melodious voices could be heard coming from the black wrought iron balcony tucked in at the corners of the beam, above the arched entrance.

**_Say a little prayer for you.._**

Everyone turned and looked up at the balcony as the curtains rose quickly to reveal an entire choir of singers, singing along to the organ music. A petite African woman stepped into sight, singing loudly, her voice obviously amplified by the sonorous charm.

**_From the moment I wake up  
Before I put on my makeup  
I say a little prayer for you…_**

**_While combing my hair now  
And wond'ring what dress to wear now  
I say a little prayer for you..._**

Zedka clutched Remus' arm in unbuttered excitement, her cheeks aching from all the smiling. "Did you do this?" She asked Remus in disbelief.

Remus shook his head just as baffled, turning to look at Sirius and Harry who were still standing at the altar beside the Justice of Peace. Sirius simply shrugged and managed a look of mock innocence at Remus' accusatory glance.

"She's a really famous muggle singer right?" Ginny asked Freda, who nodded and was in complete shock.

Ginny glanced at Harry and saw that he looked not in the least bit surprised. He caught her eye and grinned. "There's more." He mouthed to her, across the aisle.

Chris, who was standing beside Ginny, noticed this exchange. "They planned this?" She asked the younger bridesmaid who nodded proudly. Chris was flabbergasted. She was obviously not familiar with the Marauders and their marauding ways.

The music of the organ backed the choir and the singer up as they began to sing the chorus together, harmonizing note for note beautifully.

_**Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart, and I'll love you  
Forever, and ever, we never will part, oh I love you**_

Three rows from the front on the left side of wedding hall, four men suddenly stood up with saxophones in their hands, and begun to play their instruments in accompaniment to the song. Excited murmurs in the crowd turned into outright gasps and laughter. Zedka blinked in surprise as Remus started laughing, taken aback yet delighted. At that juncture, two men sitting in the same row as Luna stood up, playing their flutes.

_**Together, forever, that's how it should be  
Living without you  
Would only mean heartbreak for me...**_

Hagrid nearly decapitated the three men who rose from their seats beside him, in surprise, as they pulled out trombones and began playing along. The entire wedding hall was filled with exclamations of surprise, laughter from the crowd, the music and the singers' voices.

_**I run for the bus dear, while riding I think of us dear,  
I say a lil prayer for you  
At work I just take time, and all through my coffee break time  
I say a lil prayer for you...**_

No one knew where exactly to look – at the balcony where the singer was crooning the chorus with the choir, or at the three saxophone players, or at the trombone players or the flutists.

_**My darling believe me  
For me there is no one but you  
Say you love me too...**_

_**I'm in love with you**_

_**Answer my prayer **_

_**Say you love me too**_

_**Answer my prayer..**_

Best of all, to end the last verse of the song on a memorable riff, there on a raised pulpit at the corner of the room, a guitarist had appeared, strumming on his electric guitar. Even the Justice of Peace was smiling and clapping his hands along with the music.

_**Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart, and I'll love you  
Forever, and ever, we never will part, oh I love you**_

_**Together, forever, that's how it should be  
Living without you  
Would only mean heartbreak for me...**_

The entire hall burst into highly appreciative applause as the choir and the singer finished off by singing the chorus in a splendid fashion. Sirius saw the amazed and thrilled looks on Remus' and Zedka's faces and knew his plan had been a success.

He high fived Harry who looked rather pleased – mainly due to the fact that Ginny was laughing and smiling and enjoying this surprise performance. Sirius caught Bill's eye and nodded his head in a gesture of approval. All the musicians were Bill's contacts and he was the one who had pulled strings to get the original singer to perform. The eldest Weasley was anything but not smug as his family, even the twins clapped enthusiastically, completely impressed.

* * *

The gazebo on the inside looked more like an authentic wedding banquet hall rather than a pavilion constructed from tents, as it appeared to be on the outside. One of the many advantages of being born in the wizarding world, Remus realized. 

Zedka gasped as she stepped inside. One surprise after another. She did not think her heart would be able to stand so much joy and happiness in one day. Remus beamed with pride beside her. With help from his new father-in-law, he had managed to plan the designs of wedding banquet pavilion and keep it a secret from his beautiful bride.

The wizards he had hired to set up the magically enhanced gazebos had really outdone themselves this time. Where the wedding hall itself had been simple and elegant, this was like a dream tour of the Italian imagination. Vaulted beams of polished pine made the ceiling look like the Duomo in Florence, and the painting that covered the whole thing was on the theme of seasons – marriage being, after all, the commencement of wheel of birth and harvest.

A ceramic model of the Fontana di Trevi coated in marbleized paint and more than five feet tall took up the length of one whole wall. The Trevi Fountain gushed Champagne out of a jug in the arms of the sea god. It was cheap stuff – Patrick Bernoulli had insisted that he was not going to run Chandon or Moet in such wasteful excess. In an alcove beside it, the polished bar was nearly concealed. The bartenders there were handing out glasses of the champagne to the guests.

At the head of the hall was a raised platform for the cutting of the wedding cake, which would take place later. Beside it was the bandstand where the band, a popular Irish band which Zedka loved, called 'The Corrs' were performing. The melodious Irish music had not enraptured Zedka as much as the fresco on the wall behind the bandstand and platform. Even from halfway across the hall, she realized she was looking at her own face.

Remus noticed what she was looking at. "You're Mimi," He said, with a kind of uncorked delight. "And I'm Rodolfo."

Zedka smiled, unshed tears filling her eyes. She was touched beyond words as she stared at the depiction of a scene from La Boheme. It was painted with a diaphanous technique that made not just the painting but also the wall itself to look hundreds of years old.

"Look." Remus pointed to the floor they were standing on when they reached their table right in front.

The entire floor Zedka realized was parquet inlaid in a mosaic, deep burgundy around the edges radiating in to the twenty-four foot face of a woman in profile. Her forehead and crown above her olive cheek were draped in folds of cloth, in varying shades of blond and yellow oak, so sinuous they seemed to move.

"Oh, Remus, _Carrissimo_," Zedka whispered. "The hood of gold."

"You like it?"

"It's lovely. Lovely." She breathed.

"It was all his idea." Mr. Bernoulli said gently, from behind her.

Zedka could not stop smiling. To hear her father give her husband such credit was his way of accepting Remus and even acknowledging that she had made the right choice in marrying him. She turned around and hugged her father.

After hugging his daughter, Mr. Bernoulli turned to Remus and surprised him with a hearty embrace. "_Buono Fortuna_, son." He murmured.

Remus exchanged grins with his bride as they took their seats at the table. The tables were rough cypress, spread with shawls and abutted by cushioned seats. Even the napkins had Zedka and Remus' names scrolled in gold leaf. Remus did not seem to have left out a single detail.

She leaned across, and as he turned around to face her, kissed him. If he had to have just one last kiss from Zedka, that would have been it. That kiss would have been enough. All her love and passion for him was in that kiss.

* * *

There were gasps of admiration as people milled about the dining hall, admiring the décor and finding their seats. Harry who had offered Ginny his arm as they walked down the aisle, accompanied her all the way into the reception hall. 

"It's beyond words," Ginny murmured, dazedly looking around as she stepped inside.

"Isn't it?" Harry murmured, his eyes resting attentively on Ginny's face.

Before Ginny herself could note his undivided attention, Vincent Cappadora, Ron and another tall, dark haired Italian guy: Charley Tempesta, walked by, laughing and talking loudly.

It was Vincent who noticed Harry, "Hey, mate, let's get to the champagne before it runs out!" He urged.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, "Harry can't drink. It brings out his dark side." She stated with a straight face.

Harry bit back a smile. Ron nudged Charley, "Watch my sister have a go at your cousin, _without_ her wand."

Vincent arched an eyebrow questioningly, "Oh, really? When I buy a new book, I read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends. That, my friend, is a dark side." Ron gaped at him while Harry and Charley dissolved into silent guffaws. Ginny could not help laughing out loud.

"These two should really get together." Charley said, much to Harry's chagrin.

Ginny glanced at Harry, noticed the strange contortion of his handsome features and looked away quickly before he could catch her eye. Wishing to diffuse the awkward moment, she smiled politely at the two Italian men, "And how are you'll related to the bride?"

"We're her cousins." Vincent answered, offering his hand for a handshake, as did Charley.

"Well then, how about the champagne?" Harry reminded, wanting to remove these dangerously charming Italian men from Ginny's presense.

"Yes, yes, let's get a move on, lads." Ron, the apparent leader of the group, announced leading them away to the champagne fountain.

Before Ginny could ponder about the dangerous glint she had seen in Harry's eye, her girlfriends and fellow bridesmaids swarmed around her.

"You look gorgeous Ginny, so what's with the sad face?" Luna asked, swinging an arm around her shoulder and giving her a peck on the cheek.

Ginny sighed wearily. "I just don't know what to do about Harry…I don't know what to make out of his behavior. All these years, I've completely let him go, come to terms with his non-presence in my life and now…"

"If you ever want something badly, let it go. If it comes back to you, then it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never yours to begin with." Luna told her sagely.

Hermione who had been standing beside them, griping to Chris about Ron behaving more like a bachelor than a man with a wife and a child on the way, overheard Luna's comment. "Gees, that's just plain morbid and strange…but that's you anyway."

Ginny had managed to find their table by then, right in front, near the bandstand and led the way to the front of the reception hall.

Chris shook her head, bemused, as they walked towards the front. "My darling girl, when are you going to understand that "normal" isn't a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."

"But to be as strange as Luna?" Hermione looked puzzled, taking her seat between Ginny and Luna at the Weasley table. Chris having no luck in locating her family or the table she was rightfully supposed to be seated at, decided to sit with them for a while.

"I am not strange Herm…just loony.." Luna said half jokingly, as she blew a kiss at Fred who came to sit beside her.

"Lu, I need to talk to you, now." Ginny had never seen her brother look this anxious, not even when he had to tell George that he was in love with Luna, whom George happened to be dating at that time.

Luna seemed exasperated though, "You always want what you want when you want it. Why is everything so urgent with you?"

"Let me tell you somethin'. This here, right now, at this very moment, is all that matters to me. I love you. That's urgent like a motherfucker."

Ginny looked around and realized the only reason why Fred was swearing like a sailor was because their mother was out of hearing range, at the Bernoullis' table, introducing herself to Remus' in-laws. She turned to exchange amused glances with Chris and Hermione but found that Chris had spotted her brother at the next table and had gone to join him, while Hermione was busy scanning the room for her husband.

"That's what you never understand – true love lasts a lifetime so you shouldn't have to rush it." Luna advised Fred, patiently.

"Eh, Lu, I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve. That's why."

"_You_ lose _your_ nerve? For what?" Luna looked incredulous. Now Ginny was definitely interested – what was her brother going on about?

Hermione was not paying them the least attention. She had just spotted Ron by the champagne fountain with a whole bunch of guys, laughing and obviously getting drunk. She was thinking of the many ways of hexing him to Azkaban, when Neville wandered over.

He caught her eye and smiled, "How've you been?" He asked, concerned.

"Pregnant." Hermione replied curtly.

Fortunately, Neville never had to think of an adequate reply because their attention was piqued by the sight of Fred rising from his seat and going down on his knee in front of Luna who was staring at him in a rather astonished fashion. Ginny was sure her own eyes were going to fall out of her head.

Fixing his gaze on Luna's face so that he would not lose the bravado that was required to do what he doing, Fred begin to speak, "Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some time, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me. So will you marry me, Luna?"

Luna for the first time in her life was completely, absolutely speechless.

Some distance away, at the next table, Molly Weasley who had just introduced herself to the Bernoullis heard the quiet gasp go up in the air, like a deflating hot air balloon. She and Mr.Weasley had been talking to Mr. And Mrs. Bernoulli.

"So you must be the Weasleys that Remus talks so much about." Patrick Bernoulli had boomed, shaking their hands.

"Hope it's all good." Mr. Weasley commented affably.

"Of course, it is." Molly sounded affronted, "Why would Remus ever have anything bad to say about us, right Remus?" She asked, turning on the unsuspecting groom who looked rather lonely since Zedka had abandoned him to go chat with her numerous cousins. He shook his head in the affirmative.

Patrick Bernoulli caught Arthur Weasley's eye, and leaned towards him with a conspiratory grin, "I see we're in the same boat, Mr. Weasley, the missus is the boss in our house too."

"Call me Arthur," Mr.Weasley told him, liking the Bernoulli patriarch instantly.

"Well, my brother-in-law Joey is the boss as well, in my case." Patrick pointed to the older man sitting at the table with his white hair slicked back, clad in an all black suit, smoking an expensive looking cigar in one hand, holding a walking stick in the other, and a black patch over one eye.

Arthur laughed uncertainly, staring at the old man's eye patch. Joey caught Arthur staring at him, and stared right back with his good eye. "What are you looking at?" He asked in a thick Sicilian accent, his good eye unblinking, reminding Remus who was watching them from his seat safely across the table, of the late Mad Eye Moody.

"Don't mind him." Patrick muttered quietly, "He just tries to scare everyone with the story of how he lost his eye."

"Remus is like the respectable son we never had," Molly was telling Sylvia Bernoulli.

Bill who happened to be right behind his mother could not help overhearing her statement, "Mum! What are we?Unrespectable loafers?" He asked, half jokingly.

Molly turned around and fingered her son's fang earring, "That speaks for itself don't you think?"

Bill grimaced, before shrugging and introducing himself to the Bernoullis – Patrick, Sylvia and the formidable Bernoulli whom everyone addressed as 'Uncle Joey'. Having dealt with Goblins, Bill thought he was probably the most able in dealing with a character like the oldest Bernoulli. He was right – Joey Bernoulli took such a shining to him that he patted the seat next to him and offered Bill a cigar.

"So how'd you get that eye patch, Uncle Joey?" Bill asked, unknowingly setting himself up for a long evening.

Fortunately, that was precisely when everyone noticed the loud gasps followed by deathly silence that was emanating from the next table. Molly put her hand to her mouth as she realized almost immediately what was happening from the sight that met her eyes.

Fred, however, barely noticed all the eyes on him as he gazed up at Luna, feeling every fiber in his body quiver with anticipation. Please say yes, please say yes was just about the only thought he could manage. He had been thinking of doing this all that day. So fresh had been this idea he had not even had time to buy a ring. That did not deter him – when Fred Weasley wanted something, he went all the way to get it.

"Yes." Luna whispered, awestruck. It took a moment her reply to register before Fred leapt to his feet and pulled her out of her seat, right into his arms, kissing her with everything he felt.

"I think you'll be having another wedding soon, Molly." Zedka murmured upon rejoining Remus at their table.

Molly nodded, beaming and tears welling up in her eyes. Sylvia immediately pulled out a tissue from her purse and handed it to her, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"**Congratulations! _Buona Fortuna_!**" Patrick Bernoulli boomed, as people began to clap and call out good wishes.

A seemingly _already_ drunk guy, whom Ginny recognized as one of Zedka's colleagues from St. Mungo, walked up to Fred and Luna at their table, "Well, let me be the first to say congratulations to you man; you have one vagina for the rest of your life. Real smart man." He slurred, before wandering off.

Fred almost looked as if he was going to change his mind about the whole thing when Remus and Zedka came over to congratulate them.

"Sorry we stole your thunder." Fred apologized sincerely as Remus shook his hand while Zedka hugged Luna.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that life is full of interruptions and complications." Remus smiled.

"Yeah and anyway, welcome to the club." Zedka told Luna.

"Figures; misery loves company." Luna mused.

"The man just proposed, Luna. You should at least maintain some idealism for the next half an hour or so." Hermione chided, as a very amused Zedka and Remus departed to go back to their seats.

Ginny was still sitting in her seat, stunned beyond belief. She had this incredibly insatiable urge to get completely wasted. How could this be happening? No offense to Luna but Ginny always thought between the two of them she would be the first to settle down. But now she was the unhappy, unfulfilled singleton while Luna was officially one of the 'happily married'- to fickle, restless, reckless Fred no less.

Ginny was just about to get her arse off her seat and make a mad dash for the bar at the Champagne fountain when one of Zedka's cousins, Dominick Tempesta went up on the raised platform, motioned for the band to stop their music and began to make an announcement, "Everyone kindly take your seats please."

"Daddy!" His eight-year-old daughter Joy shrieked from across the hall, waving at him. There were titters of laughter through the crowd as Dominick sheepishly waved back.

"Get on with the show, Dom!" Someone called out from a table nearby.

"Okay, before we can sate our ravenous appetites-" This was interrupted by a loud chorus from the tables where most of the Italians and Weasleys sat, of 'Yeah! Food!'

"-There are some other important things to do." Dominick continued.

"What could be more important than food!" Charley yelled out, to his two teenaged sisters' complete embarrassment.

"Sex!" George blurted out and instantly found himself facing the ends of three wands – Luna's, Ginny's and Hermione's. Gail, Charlie's wife, was too busy covering her two-year-old daughter Abby's ears.

Dominick continued, attempting to ignore all these interruptions, "First on the agenda are the toasts."

A silence descended on the hall as Remus rose from his seat, his champagne glass in one hand, "Thanks, Dominick. I'd like to make a toast first. I know, I know, it's unprecedented for a groom to make a toast at his wedding but I would very much like to have this opportunity to make a toast to my bride."

Since there were no protests whatsoever besides the blush on Zedka's cheeks as she gazed at him from her seat beside him, Remus continued, "All I have to say is find the love. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you'll start believing in it, just as I have."

Seeing Sirius' blatantly cynical look, he added, "Some people think love's a disease. Well, if that's so," At this point, he raised his champagne glass in Zedka's direction, "then, she's my cure. She is my world. To Zedka!"

"To Zedka!" Everyone else echoed, raising his or her glasses in Zedka's direction from all over the dinning hall, following suit as Remus took a sip of champagne before sitting back down in his seat. Zedka's hand found his under the table, interlacing her fingers with his and giving him one of her most beautiful smiles, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Just then Sirius rose from his seat across the table, between Harry and Freda, hitting his spoon lightly against the rim of champagne glass, the clinking sound getting everyone's attention.

"Thanks a lot Remus for stealing my moment," amidst bubbles of laughter from the crowd, "As you all know, I'm the dashing best man and I'm the one supposed to be making the toast. Before that though, I'd like you all to watch this very short clip."

Remus shot a look of panic at Harry who gave him a reassuring smile. Sirius pulled out his wand and pointed it at the raised platform where a huge screen magically appeared out of thin air, hanging from the ceiling. It was situated right above the platform so everyone from all corners of the dining hall could view it. Then the screen came to live as Sirius himself appeared on it.

The Sirius on screen smiled at the audience before speaking, "This is what Remus wrote in his diary after he met his father-in law – "Note to self ... rent Goodfellas, Casino, Godfather 1, 2, 3." Not sure that helped. I think my lessons did though…"

Another scene filled the screen. It was in the living room of Sirius' bachelor pad. Remus was lounging on an armchair while Sirius paced the floor in front of him. Sirius spoke, his brows furrowed, "Here, try this, "Hey, fuggeddabout it!""

Remus looked at him as if he were mad before imitating him, "Hey, forget about it!"

Sirius shook his vehemently, "No, like this, "Hey, fuggeddabout it!" Change you T's to D's."

Remus tried again, "Hey, fuggeddaboud id!"

Sirius stopped in front of Remus and stared at him, "Id?"

"You said change Ts to Ds!" Remus reasoned.

"Not the last one!" Sirius exclaimed.

The audience, including Remus himself, was in stitches as the screen went blank after that scene. Even Uncle Joey had his lips twisted in what looked to be a reluctant smile. With a flick of his wand, Sirius made the screen vanish.

He waited for the raucous laughter to die down before he began to speak once more, "So I would very much like to think that it was my rigorous training that has given Zedka her husband, and Remus the girl he is bend on loving. Cheers to you two!" He raised his glass towards them.

Shouts of "**_Cheers!_**" filled the room as everyone clinked glasses, a certain lighthearted joyousness filling the atmosphere and initiating the dinner reception in a highly festive manner.

* * *

**Italian – English Translations: **

_Ti Amoi_: I love you

_Buona Fortuna_: Congratulations

_Carissimo_: Dearest

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**Author's Note -**

**Btw, the hugh grant movie is 'Two Weeks Notice' with Sandra Bullock..**

**You got all the movies right!**

**I LOVE HUGH GRANT!**

**If it's a bit unreal, forgive me ma'ams…but isn't this a projection of the future? Do you think things will stay exactly the same ALWAYS..ridiculous..things ALWAYS change..even people change as the years pass..**

**In case your're wondering, the muggle singer they invited is Aretha Franklin – I would love to have her sing at my wedding..IF there is a man mad enough to WANT to marry me in the first place..lol**

**I upped the rating because of language and also because of future scenes – if you know what I mean..hehe**

**This is the unbetaed version. Will be posting the betaed version soon. So forgive any errors whatsoever**

**Also apologise for the lack of HG action in this chapter but that my dears is because the next chapter is ALL HG….scout's honour.**

**The thing is I'm a very insecure writer. I need loads of motivation in the form of reviews to keep me updating the story. So seeing how little reviews I have been getting for this chapter, i might just NOT update this story PRONTO...**

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**A sneak peek of next chapter - (if you guys review and I feel encouraged enough to update)**

_What did Ginny make of this man (Harry)beside her? When he gazed at her, it was as if he was looking at something else entirely. He was looking inside of her. She nibbled on the chocolate truffles that were placed on a tray in the middle of every table. People said that chocolate could bring on a rush much like falling in love. It made a heart beat too fast and stimulated far-fetched ideas._


	11. The one with the Fireworks

**The One with the Fireworks**

_Disclaimer: Anything you recognise is NOT MINE..._

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The cutting of the wedding cake had just finished, followed by the traditional throwing of the bouquet. Dinner began immediately with the food magically appearing on gold plates on every table that were placed encircling a tinted ice swan - the centerpiece on each table. The last time Harry had seen so many things he liked to eat on one table had been back at Hogwarts. 

There was marinated chicken breasts in mustard and vinegar, sprinkled nasturtiums in salad bowls, big loaves of bread with herbs in them – _Focccacia, Risotti_ – rice and wine, deep fried crispy calamari, linguine with seafood in cream sauce, _Spigola Arrosto_ – baked snapper, and ravioli. Sirius was already eating as if they were going to outlaw ravioli.

As the band started to play the music, the lead singer requested for the wedding couple to take the floor. Soon, other couples followed suit and took to the dance floor as well. After the first song had ended, Remus and Zedka begin to walk around the hall, chat with their relatives and friends, and pose for photos.

Ginny saw how powerfully, it must have been erotically, passionate Remus and Zedka were; even as they spoke with others, their eyes drifted back onto each other. Their favored stance was side-by-side, Remus' arm around Zedka's slender waist and her fingers hooked in companionable intimacy in the belt of his dress robes. Was she jealous, a little? Envious? Merlin, she would be a saint not to be.

She glanced at Luna for some form of consoling but realized she and Fred were engaged in the strangest conversation Ginny had ever had the priveldge ofoverhearing.

"I always confuse Monet and Manet. Now which one married his mistress?" Fred was asking Luna, in between mouthfuls of pasta.

"Monet." Luna said.

"Right, and then Manet had syphilis."

"They also painted occasionally." Luna informed him.

Glancing to her right for a dose of Hermione's practical advice, made Ginny instantly change her mind as she witnessed the all too familiar scene of Ron and Hermione bickering.

"What did I do wrong, 'Mione? Why do you refuse to answer any of my questions ever since I sat down?" Ron asked, exasperated.

"Don't fight with me when I'm hungry, Ron!" Hermione snapped as she ladled _Risotti_ on her plate.

"Doesn't that have some sort of alcohol inside? Shouldn't you slow with that? Isn't it bad for the baby?" When Hermione simply ignored him and began to eat, Ron ploughed on relentlessly, "I think you should at least listen to me."

"For Merlin's sake Ron, I don't have to listen to you! You're not my mother!" Hermione burst out, angrily.

Ron's face went a blotchy red as he lost his temper, "THANK MERLIN FOR THAT!"

At the next table, Molly Weasley went just as red. "Oh No." She murmured. "He's not my son." She told the Bernoullis who seemed thoroughly bemused.

"The red hair's a giveaway, honey." Arthur told his wife, gently.

"You blew her cover, Arthur." Patrick quipped as everyone at the table laughed, except for Uncle Joey who stared at Harry with his good eye.

"He's scaring me." Harry murmured to his godfather who was seated beside him, referring to Uncle Joey.

Sirius, however, was not paying attention. He had been blatantly checking Chris out as she walked by.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you about staring?" Chris told him off as she walked back to her table nearby.

Sirius shrugged, seemingly unaffected, and returned his attention to his godson."You were saying?"

"Uncle Joey," Harry nodded towards the older man who was still staring at him, "He scares the shit out of me."

Sirius nodded, leaning towards Harry, speaking softly so no one else would hear him. "He _is_a scary bugger. Remus told me that according to family myth, it used to be Patrick, Leo Zabini (Blaise's father and Patrick's brother-in-law) and Leo's older brother, Karl, who would in charge of all the families and the business. It seems Uncle Joey killed Karl so that he could replace him and thus, be in charge of the family business with Leo and Patrick."

Harry stared at the thoroughly somber and seriousexpression on Sirius' face. Then he glanced across the table at Uncle Joey who was now smoking a cigar and still staring at him.Deigned to believe Sirius, Harry took a rather generous gulp of his champagne.

"Maybe he just wants to hire you as a hit man or something. I mean you _did_ kill Voldermort, after all." Sirius reassured Harry who seemed not the least bit consoled by this new possibility.

* * *

Back at the next table, "I think I need something to drink." Ginny concluded, rising from her seat abruptly, leaving the food on her plate untouched. 

Bill who was seated across the table glanced at his sister sharply. "You okay?"

She nodded, giving him a reassuring smile before walking off towards the ceramic model of the Fontana di Trevi, which gushed champagne. In an alcove beside it, the polished bar was nearly concealed. The bartenders there were handing out glasses of the champagne to the guests.

"Hi, Could I have a glass please?" She flashed a rather flirty smile to one of the young, rather handsome bartenders.

"No problem, ma'am." He smiled back winsomely.

Ginny was hooked. Leaning against the counter, hoping that her scooped neckline would reveal her ample cleavage – hell, she was allowed to flirt and have some fun – she smiled at him, "So do you do this all the time?"

He handed her the glass brimming with sparkling champagne, "Part time, actually."

"Hmmm." She took a sip of her drink, the bubbles goingstraight to her head. "So, what do you do then?"

He did not answer her, staring at something behind her. "I think your son wants to talk to you." He told her.

Ginny stared at him, in complete astonishment before turning around to spot her elder brother Ron walking towards her, calling her name. Her jaw went slack.

She spun around, livid. "Do I look _that_ old to you?" The bartender was gone, already tending to some other guests. Ginny was fuming.

She ignored Ron who was looking for Hermione and stormed to the powder room with a sudden urge to replenish her makeup. In the powder room, Ginny gazed at her face in the brightly lit mirror that dominated an entire wall. She was paler than the roses in Zedka's bouquet, the one she had ducked to avoid when Zedka so charmingly and obviously hurled it in her direction earlier. Her eyes looked huge, glowing like brown pools. What a bloody, bloody day!

She returned to her table and slumped in her seat, feeling as if she was the only one seated at the Weasley table. Everyone else were dancing, pranking, snogging, eating or squabbling. She was on her fourth conjured up glass of champagne in a span of forty minutes when Harry joined her.

She had been so obliviously drowning in self-pity she had not noticed him staring at her the whole time from his table.He had been watching Ginny carefully the whole evening. With every move she made he could feel how time was coursing past them, shaking the floors and the ceilings, rattling their world. He had to tell her. Had to. How wrong it was for those who loved not to express their love.

Harry knew as he rose from his seat, leaving Arthur Weasley and Patrick Bernoulli to entertain themselves, and took the seat beside Ginny that he was in love. If indeed, he had ever not been. Not since a day many years ago when a girl in a Hogwarts gray skirt and white blouse had kissed him. It was as if he had merely been distracted all these years and had, against all odds been restored to a rightful state.

"Oh, Harry." Ginny smiled, pleasantly startled.

She looked at him and looked away. Yet she could not help thinking about the moony expression on his face, or the catch in her stomach as her desire for him rose, the way it always did when he was near.

They were worlds apart, they had always been – she free spirited and he so very grounded- that was the truth. Yet whenever Ginny saw Harry something strange happened: she found that she said whatever came to mind, no matter how personal, like now. Except her feelings for him. She was definitely not talking about that.

"The damned bartender thought I was Ron's mother!" She blurted out.

Instead of bursting into laughter, Harry looked shocked, "That's ridiculous. You're the most beautiful woman in the room. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known."

Ginny looked at him through narrowed eyes. "I maybe drunk," She said, waving her champagne glass around, as if she needed evidence to prove this fact, "but I am _not_ stupid."

"No, I mean it." He insisted.

"In that case, _you_ must be drunk." She pulled out her wand, conjured another glass of champagne and offered it to him. "Blind drunk."

"Perhaps I am." He agreed, taking the proffered alcohol and raised it to his lips with the careful precision of one who _has_ had a good few too many.

"But you're still beautiful. Inside and out, and that's a rare quality." He smiled at her with his wonderful mouth, and his glittering green eyes. They were as liquid as the champagne, like a green lake, inviting her to strip off and dive in.

She was gazing so hard, her own eyes began to blur. "You know, I can see two of you now." She murmured. Harry smirked.

What did Ginny make of this man beside her? When he gazed at her, it was as if he was looking at something else entirely. He was looking inside of her. She nibbled on the chocolate truffles that were placed on a tray in the middle of every table. People said that chocolate could bring on a rush much like falling in love. It made a heart beat too fast and stimulated far-fetched ideas.

She sighed then, taking another sip of the intoxicating substance, gazing out at the dance floor where mostly couples were dancing – Fleur a tad too close to Bill for Ginny's liking. She glanced across the table where Van sat beside Gail. Gail looked seemingly exhausted trying to feed her rambunctious daughter Abby and was taking a rest while Charlie took over. Van was watching Fleur and Bill dancing together, looking rather miffed, and fingering her unused butter knife. She looked very unhappy actually.

Harry saw the disgusted desolate expression on Ginny's face and turned to look at Bill and Fleur as well. He leaned forward. He slowly wiped a smudge of mascara away from her cheek with his thumb. "Don't look so sad, I'll go and drag Fleur away if you want me too."

"I wouldn't if I were you. She's like a leech. She came over to our table countless times ever since we sat down, bringing drinks for Bill and even flirting with Ron and Charlie." Ginny muttered, though her concentration was no longer on Van or Fleur but centered purely on his thumb gently rubbing her cheekbone.

"Would you like to dance?" He gestured to the dance floor, standing up.

"Sure," It was only when she stood up that she realized how much she had to drink – way too much.

"Though I'm not sure that I can," She replied, surprised at how legless she actually felt. "My legs seemed to have divorced themselves from the rest of my nervous system. I am finding it difficult to stand, let alone move to music."

"Well, you can just lean on me then." Harry smiled that lovely slow lazy smile and Ginny's legs went even weaker.

He led her onto the dance floor and Ginny could swear her entire family was staring. The band started to play a jazzy, sensual, beautiful song.

**_Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance  
With the stars up above in your eyes  
A fantabulous night to make romance  
'Neath the cover of December skies  
And all the leaves on the trees are falling  
To the sound of the breezes that blow  
And I'm trying to please to the calling  
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low  
And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush  
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush _**

_**Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love  
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love** _

"You're very brave dancing with me. All my brothers are watching us," She murmured, resting her head against his collarbone.

"Let them," he said. "They obviously haven't got anything better to do."

"I love the words of this song." Ginny sighed, singing softly along with it as Harry twirled her around and pulled her back into his arms.

_**Well I wanna make love to you tonight  
I can't wait till the morning has come  
And I know now the time is just right  
And straight into my arms you will run  
And when you come my heart will be waiting  
To make sure you're never alone  
There and then all my dreams will come true, dear  
There and then I will make you my own  
And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside  
And I know how much you want me that you can't hide**_

_**Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love  
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love**_

"It'll be our song." She muttered, and then blushed as she suddenly realized what she had just said but when she dared to look up into Harry's face again he was smiling bemusedly.

Ginny realized she was at that awful point of drunkenness where she was still lucid enough to know that she would wind up saying and even doing some very stupid things yet not really giving a damn. Dangerous. Especially as she found Harry more attractive by the moment and she did not think it was the effect of the alcohol at all. Holding him close, feeling his flesh under his clothes, under her touch, being able to bury her head in his chest and breathe in that intoxicating scent of him. Dizzy, and not just from champagne.

_**One more moondance with you in the moonlight  
Can't I just have one more dance with you my love**_

The song ended. Just in time too, for Bill had come over looking rather frazzled about not being able to find Van – what was it with her brothers and not being able to keep tabs on their other halves- hoping Harry could distract Fleur and dance with her for just a bit. Harry, after shooting a thoroughly apologetic look to Ginny, conceded. Ginny really did not mind. She was suddenly in desperate need of some fresh air anyway.

She slipped across the lantern lit terrace, which was dotted with couples enjoying the gorgeous velvet cool of the evening, and disappeared into the well-lit gardens. Lanterns were hung on all the branches of trees in the field, lighting the gardens up in the chilled darkness of a typical winter night. She flitted across the lawn like an escaped convict and skidded to a halt as she reached the lake at the bottom of the lawn. It was not a very cultivated lake, allowed to grow wild and free and dramatically beautiful.

Parting the reeds, Ginny plonked herself down at the water's edge and kicked off her shoes, dangling her feet in the dark inky water. Ripples spread outwards and she tried to count them.

"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…damn!" She could not see to count any further. She supposed that meant he loved her not but she did not care, did she?

She looked up at the dark sky with stars springing up all over and tried to find the biggest star to wish on. Her head spun as she threw it back and gazed into the heavens, so much that she found she simply had to lie down, feet and ankles dangling in the water, head resting on the grass, which while slightly damp was also still warm from the very last rays of the winter sun.

Suddenly she felt a shadow fall across her face and then a dark figure blocked her view of the Orion Belt.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" A familiar voice asked in amusement.

"Counting ripples instead of petals," She murmured. "At least I was. Now I'm wishing on a star."

"And what are you wishing for?"

"True love and happiness." She replied.

"Is that what you want?"

"Don't we all?" She muttered. She looked up at Harry who was gazing across the water like a beautifully carved figurehead on the prow of a ship. "I mean, look at my brothers – they've all found love, they're all so happy. Hell, even Luna. And I always thought I'd get married before her. And there she was being asked to by Fred to be his wife. Gosh!"

"You sound jealous." Harry said quietly.

"I feel like one of those old hags right now."

"You look far from it." He retorted, looking up at the star lit sky before slumping down on the grass next to her.

"Sod my looks, my love life is in shambles." Ginny moaned.

"What about you and Zabini?"

"Blaise? He was only attracted to me because I was some angsty poet. He found it sexy in a morbid kind of way."

"Were you attracted to him?" Hary asked, wishing he had not the moment the question left his lips.

"Which woman isn't? He's a hottie."

"Ah." That was all he could manage.

"You look cute jealous."

"I am NOT jealous"

"Harry, don't lie to me. I always know when you're lying."

"I'm not- Ah, forget it."

"Exactomundo."

"Telling the truth is sometimes easier said than done you know." Harry pointed out matter-of-factly.

"I know…"

They both fell silent.

The desire Ginny had gradually recognized feeling for Harry suddenly hit her full strength. It was as if she had dived in, and now she thought she was drowning once and for all. He was so close she could feel him breathing. She reached forward with one hand and took hold of the material of his dress robes, pulled him towards her. His face was so close she could see the soft down on his full upper lip.

"Gin?" His voice was quiet, uncertain, questioning.

He reached out and pushed a stray tendril of hair away from her upturned face. Harry had taken this time to fall in love, in love with the helplessness of being alive, the dark bright prospect of navigating the unknown with this woman.

As Harry touched her, Ginny realized that no matter how much she wanted to fight this, this time she just could not. Just the sensation of his fingertips against her face carried pure electricity. His face was so close, her senses were so heightened. His kiss was as soft as thistledown. She traced his face with her fingers, desperate to burn the image into mind.

He followed the contour of her neck with his lips. The warmth of his breath against her skin made her shiver. As his lips returned to her mouth and he kissed her again, she could not bring herself to say no. She could feel his desire through the pounding of his heart against her own. Her hands slid under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin, the smooth curve of his back. Harry pulled her closer, tangling his fingers with her hair. The kiss got harder, less tentative, more passionate.

A burst of sound as the doors on to the terrace were opened. Voices, laughter, people were coming out of the heat of the dining hall into the gentle, beautiful cool of the night. The moment faded, reality reasserted itself.

She broke away, as if they had been tussling like schoolboys. It had not been a minute since he first kissed her. How did they get to this point so quickly? Her face was flushed, her mouth reddened. Her hair, at one side, had begun to come loose.

'Ginny-" Harry began as if to speak, to explain or even worst to cite this as another 'mistake'.

Ginny knew she could not bear to hear any such explanation at the moment. She interrupted him before he could go on, "The twins' fireworks are going to start soon. That's why everyone's gathered outside."

They did not have to wait long. It was a few minutes before the fireworks began. They were designed and made by the Weasley twins. Even the special effects, set pieces and flights of rockets were let off by the both of them. There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. There were fountains of butterflies that flew glitteringly into the trees. There were sparklers, crackers, goblin barkers and thunderclaps. The entire display was superb. The art of the Weasley twins improved with age.

They even had one last surprise, in honor of the wedding couple. The lanterns went out. A great smoke went up. It spouted green and scarlet flames. Out flew a red-golden dragon – not life-size but terribly life-like: fire came from his jaws, his eyes glared down; there was a roar, and he whizzed three times over the heads of the crowd. They all ducked and several children fell flat on their faces. The dragon passed like an express train, turned a somersault, and burst over the nearby lake with a deafening explosion that caused Ginny to instinctively cover her ears with her hands and bury her face in Harry's chest.

When she moved away and looked up at Harry, his eyes was as dark and murky as the lake water. He put his hands inside her coat, holding her ribcage, the warmth of her through the silk of her dress. He leaned down to kiss her again, "Not here," Ginny murmured, observing the many people gathered around them. By some good fortune, Harry seemed to understand. He gestured in the general direction of the house and Ginny nodded in agreement.

* * *

As they stepped into the main hallway of the house, and were completely out of sight from anyone who could possible see them, Harry pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her, again. He kissed her, found the inside of her mouth, and felt lost and light headed, as if he were spinning. 

Then she was leading him upstairs with one hand and unbuttoning his robes with the other. As he backed her into his bedroom, he slid his hand to her breast, felt her breast through the cloth. He unfastened the top button of her dress, pushed the fabric of her bra aside. He kissed her nipple, licked it with his tongue, astonishing himself with the boldness of this gesture as Ginny made a small sound of pleasure.

He moved away from her then, the both of them standing there in his bedroom a breath away from each other, a few feet away from the bed, very much aware of what was going to happen if they stayed yet neither wished to leave. Ginny watched him, studied his profile as he stood there - Harry looked young in the dark. There was silence for what seemed like an eternity, and then he began to speak.

"Do you know how much self-control I've had to exert to stop myself from kissing you all these years?" He looked at her with those amazing eyes, liquid, intelligent and burning with warmth. "In fact, I've exercised so much self control, I don't think I have any left."

"Well, I'm drunk enough for us not to regret this afterward and not that drunk that you would be taking advantage of me." Ginny reasoned.

Harry's face softened to an amused smile as he reached out and pulled her towards him. Ginny supposed this was inevitable really.

The bedroom curtains were open. The room was illuminated by moonlight. After some tugging, tussling and tossing of clothes, they fell naked together on the bed. Laughing, caressing, kissing slowly.

He was lean, firm, brown, well built, well hung. His skin was beautifully smooth, a magnet irresistibly drawing her hands and her mouth. They had wanted each other so much for so long. His fingers slid over her breasts and down her belly, and she was convulsed with a desire stronger that she had ever experienced before.

"I don't normally go to bed with someone on the first date," Ginny whispered as his tongue followed the route his fingers had just taken.

"We haven't even had our first date." He murmured, his mouth and eyelashes fluttering against her flesh.

"Oh. No, we haven't, have we? Although I supposed this is sensible. Get down to the shagging straight away and then if that's totally useless we haven't wasted any time or effort going out with each other first."

Harry paused, drew level with her again and smiled, amused, running a fingertip lightly between her breasts, along the curve of her neck and across her mouth. He caressed her cheek with his hand then brought both of them to cup her face. He stared down at her with those brilliant, intense eyes.

"Gin."

"What?"

"Shut up."

He silenced her with a kiss.

* * *

As Sirius walked back to the reception hall after the fireworks, he noticed Chris walking by herself right in front of him. He also noted that she was walking right beside the lake. His marauder instincts kicking in, Sirius snuck up on her from behind and then with a slight shove, pushed her into the lake. Chris was in complete shock as she broke the surface, gasping for air. She saw Sirius standing at the bank, smirking down at her. 

"I don't believe this!" She cried out, while treading water and attempting to swim towards shore. "Oh, Zedka's gonna kill you for ruining this dress. You're in big trouble." She spluttered.

Sirius shrugged, unfazed, "A quick drying spell will fix it up. Besides, you look good wet."

"Shut up!" Chris snapped, dragging herself onto the sand. Sirius held his hand out to help her up but she ignored him, stumbling to her feet, her soaked dress robes weighing her down and her wet hair clinging on to her face.

"Maybe we could have dinner..." Sirius offered, as she stood facing him, trembling from a combination of cold and anger.

She stared at him bewildered, "What do you mean? Like a date?"

Sirius shook his head, "No! Just casual dinner... If we happen to have sex afterwards so be it!"

Chrsitne lost it right then and then. In one swift movement, she slapped him, right smack across his cheek.

"In place of relationships, you have sarcasm and violence!" Sirius exclaimed, livid. How dare she hit him, especially after how charming he was being to her?

"Oh, _I_ have sarcasm? When every word that comes out of your mouth is dripping with disdain!" She shot back.

"Ah! But that is because I am a miserable, grumpy elitist - and that works for me!" Sirius retorted.

"Yes, you're right. You're a cynical, exploitive, mean creep who wouldn't know real-hearted love if it bit him in the armpit. You will end up childless and alone." She told him matter-of-factly, before pulling out her wand and drying herself instantly.

"Well, fingers crossed, yeah." Sirius admitted carelessly. At the dirty look Chris was giving him, he continued, "And I supposed that pisses you off royally."

"No, you know what _really_ pisses me off? **_You_**." To emphasize her point, she jabbed her wand into his chest, painfully. "You are a human affront to all women and I am a woman." She shot him a glare, before storming off, unsure whether it was anger or desire that was making her feel so heated.

* * *

Ginny lay beside Harry, breathless and enveloped in a golden haze of well being after their very indulgent lovemaking. She gazed lazily at the clock on the bedside table, surprised to see that it was gone ten p.m. To think that only twelve hours ago, shehadapparated right on top of Harry, on this very bed. 

She stretched luxuriously against Harry who was massaging her foot with his. She felt almost ethereal with pleasure, as if she was dreaming while awake. Those pleasant thoughts were unpleasantly disturbed by the frantic footfalls of someone nearing the bedroom. The door was flung open just as Ginny yanked the sheets over her head, hiding herself.

It was Ron who walked into the bedroom looking extremely anxious and flustered. "Harry! I need your help. I can't find Hermione _ANYWHERE_!" He explained, panic stricken.

Harry had been trying to sit up all this while, without moving the sheets so Ginny would not be revealed huddling in his bed in all her naked glory.

Ron paused in his ranting, staring hard at Harry as something registered in his head. "What are you doing in bed so early?" Ron asked, curiously.

"Eh-" Harry seriously had no idea what to say.

"Are you having a quickie?" Ron's eyes shone with mirth as the possible connotation behind the sight of a shirtless Harry in bed sank in.

"Eh-" Harry could not believe how incapable he was of forming a sentence at the moment other than 'Your sister is the best shag I ever had.'

"Who's it? Is it Fleur? Or Zedka's friend Kate Todd?" Ron looked very interested, having completely forgotten his previous dilemma.

Harry decided to ignore his questions, "You were saying about Hermione?"

Instantly, Ron frowned and looked supremely stressed, "I don't know where she is, Harry. She's really angry with me 'cos I had a couple of drinks with you guys instead of being with her." Ron threw his hands up in the air, "Hormones!"

"Calm down, Ron. Why don't you do back down to the reception and wait there for her if she turns up. Meanwhile, let me get dressed, search the house and see if she's around and then join you." Harry told him, rationally.

Ginny decided as she hid beneath the sheets that Harry sounded damn sexy when he took charge, rather than when he was a blubbering, speechless idiot.

Ron nodded in agreement, "Thanks mate."

He turned to walk out of the room, and then paused in the doorway, turning around with a cheeky grin on his face, "The girl you got lucky with - She's in there, isn't she? " He asked, pointing to the bed.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed, indignantly.

"Fine, fine." Ron backed off, walking out of the room, closing the door behind him. It was only when they heard the front door slam shut as Ron left the house did Ginny come out of hiding.

"Phew, that was close." She murmured.

Harry shrugged, staring at her intently for a minute before speaking, "Gin, would you rather keep this between us for now?"

Ginny smiled at him gratefully, "Definitely, Harry. I just don't want to have to deal with my family, especially my brothers and I really don't want them to make a big deal out of it. I'd rather we just take it at our own pace."

"With no pressure." Harry added, glad that they were seeing eye to eye on this. He had been afraid that she would think he was embarrassed of their budding relationship, which was far from the truth. The truth was that he was just very much petrified of the Ginny's brothers. Somehow Voldermort seemed like a walk in the park compared to them.

"Yeah, I mean if my family knows, everyone'll know, then the Daily Prophet will find out..." Ginny shuddered at the thought of all the unwanted attention. Harry was still the media's darling, even more so after defeating Voldermort.

He nodded in complete agreement before leaning down to kiss her, full on the lips.

"I was born to kiss you." He said when they broke away, breathless.

"Really? Not to kill Voldermort?"

Harry snorted. "No _blooming_ way. The prophecy was dead wrong."

"Heh, you stupid boy." Ginny grinned.

**_TBC_**

* * *

**A/n note:**

You got the movies right..but you missed out Four weddings and a funeral and Mickey Blue Eyes! I think one of you'll guessed it later..

I think Luna's damn funny too..hehe

You should see her here in this chapter..

I liked that you thought the wedding was realistic… I was afraid it was too clichéd.

Well, what's been up with my life – I'm still in love with best guy friend and am convincing myself otherwise…that's basically it.

Once again apologies about any grammatical errors because my poor beta reader is kinda overloaded at the moment but I still wanted to please you guys and put up this chapter PRONTO, even though I didn't get much reviews.

You're probably the only one who thinks Luna and Fred are cute…I don't think anyone else even noticed that I mentioned how Fred fell in love with Luna while she was going out with George.

I am apologize for the overload of movie quotes – I just thought it would be fun to create a story with all my favourite bits from different movies, tv shows and books thrown in it all over. Anyway, I hope this chapter was original enough...

although some readers mentioned how they liked the movie references...

Aniwai, it just seemed I'm getting less and less reviews for each chapter I update..i wonder if you guys could help explain to me this phenomenon…. is it my story? Is something lacking?

**Next chapter will be pretty fun since it's centered around Ron and Hermione bickering, the wedding reception proceeding and in the middle of it all, Ginny and Harry trying to keep what's going on between them a secret!**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! GIVE ME MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY!**


	12. The one with the Kissing

**THE ONE WITH THE KISSING **

_Disclaimer: Anything you see or recognise is not mine…._

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* * *

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Despite a very strong desire to take him back to bed, Ginny followed Harry down the stairs, towards the east wing of the house, in search for Hermione.

They were walking down the barely lit hallway on the second floor when, "Are you sure you're not planning on dragging me into one of these rooms or an alcove somewhere to snog me senseless?" Ginny murmured, as Harry checked another empty, dark room with the light from his wand.

Harry smiled and rubbed his thumb across the palm of her hand, which he had been holding. "As great a plan as that sounds, I'm afraid we'll have to postpone that till we find 'Mione or else Ron'll really suspect us."

They were in front of the room that the bride and bridesmaids had used when Ginny heard a loud sniff.

"I think Hermione's inside." She whispered to Harry who nodded in agreemtn, pointing to the light filtering from underneath the room door, indication that someone was inside.

Just before they could open the door and step into the room though, Harry pulled Ginny against him and kissed her slowly. She responded hungrily but he pulled away. "One for the road." He laughed, throatily, and walked into the room. Ginny was right behind him, albeit a little dazed.

Sure enough Hermione was sitting on the bed, looking as if she had been crying her eyes out.

"'Mione! Why are you crying?" Ginny asked concernedly, moving towards the bed.

Hermione shook her head despondently before looking up. "You've had sex!" She cried out, as she glanced up at Harry and Ginny. Ginny gaped at her while Harry held his hands up in surrender.

"No, not _you_, Harry," Hermione frowned at Harry who looked slighted, "You, Ginny, you've had sex!"

"No! I have not!" Ginny managed in a rather good pretence of being indignant.

"Oh, then, my pregnancy must be making me all whack." Hermione muttered, shrugging and looking distressed all over again.

Ginny pushed aside the pile of tissues and sat beside her best friend. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, tell us, Hermione." Harry echoed, making himself comfortable in the chair across from the bed.

Seeing Hermione's hesitation, Ginny added lightheartedly,"I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence."

Hermione took a deep breath, dabbing at her eyes with a damp tisse, "It's just that…I…I don't know...I was just thinking…. why did I ever marry Ron y'know…. I mean we fight all the time, we're not even right for each other…" She trailed off, miserably.

Harry looked aghast but Ginny gave him a 'let-me-handle-this' look. She patted Hermione's arm and shook her head at the older witch, "I remember why you married him, 'Mione. I'm sure you do too." Hermione nodded, resignedly.

"Your exact words were – 'It's just that I never met anyone I could laugh with, you know?' You told me how even when you bothfought, he always ended up making you laugh in the end and let me tell you, 'Mione, as Mum alwayswould say, laughter through tears is every woman's favorite emotion." Ginny smiled at Hermione, putting her arm around her comfortingly.

Hermione managed a watery smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Ron can be a prat sometimes..." She trailed off, thinking deeply for a moment, before brightening up instantly with a smile, "But unfortunately, I still love him." She admitted.

"That's the spirit!" Ginny crowed, smiling one of those rare beautiful smiles that made Harry forget where or who he was.

As they headed out of the house to go back to the reception hall to join the rest, Hermione stopped in mid step and turned to Ginny. "I could have sworn you had sex," she murmured staring at Ginny, "You even have sex hair."

"I do not!" Ginny protested, putting on a show of mock amusement by rolling her eyes and smiling amusedly. However, as soon as Hermione had her back to them, Ginny began running her fingers through her hair desperately trying to straighten it.

Harry who was right behind Ginny could not help asking out of sheer curiosity, "What's sex hair?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear, as they walked down the path leading to the larger gazebo.

Ginny shook her head, grinning, "I'll show you the next time." She threw him a lascivious wink.

Harry reached out to grab her by the waist, or arse - whichever he could get a hold of first - and pull her towards him, but she darted out of his reach and walked briskly towards Hermione. She shot Harry a teasing grin as she walked beside Hermione all the way to the reception hall.

* * *

"Hermione!" Ron stood up as soon as he caught sight of Hermione walking towards their table in front. "I was looking all over for you." He told her, anxiously, completely ignoring Harry and Ginny who had sat down side by side at the Weasley table. 

"Hey, where were you?" Luna, who was seated on Ginny's other side, asked.

"Oh, I went for a walk." Ginny lied.

Luna frowned, not believing her roommate for one minute, "Are you okay, Ginny? I know how hard this must be for you with Harry around and the whole wedding thing-"

"Lu, I'm _fine_." Ginny told her, firmly.

On the other side of the table, Hermione and Ron seemed to have completely made up and had taken their seats beside Harry.

"I'm starving. Where's desert?" Hermione asked.

Ron hid a smile as he squeezed his wife's hand, "I love you."

"Ditto." Hermione flashed him a smile.

Luna shrugged. "I wouldn't know about desert. I was with Fred." She looked rather dreamy at this point.

"Where's everyone else?" Ginny asked, realizing that they were the only ones at the Weasley table.

Hermione spoke up, "Oh, Fred and George are at the bar. Charlie and Gail had to go home because Abby got a little sick – she had too much risotti, I think. Bill's dancing with Van – looks like they've made up too." She observed, nodding towards the dance floor, which was littered with couples swaying to the slow music. "That's about it." Hermione concluded.

Everybody gaped at her.

"What?" Hermione asked at the awestruck looks in her direction.

"You were at the house all this while right?" Harry asked, baffled.

Hermione nodded, using her wand to conjure a plate of tiramisu for herself.

"Then how did you know-"

Ron was cut off by Hermione's modest shrug, "It's this pregnancy hormones, I'm telling you, they make me sense all these things and know everything that's going on."

Harry blanched while Ginny choked on Luna's Gillyweed that she was taking a sip of. They exchanged a horrified glance before turning to look back at Hermione who was more absorbed in her tiramisu than anything else.

"I need a drink." Ginny concluded, having drained Luna's Gillyweed.

"Me too, now that Ginny has finished mine." Luna stated, dryly.

"Actually I'd fancy some nice sparkling apple juice." Hermione added.

"Well, then, I shall go get drinks for you ladies," Harry volunteered gallantly and rose from his seat.

Then impulsively, an affectionate smile on his face, he leaned down to kiss Ginny, capturing her mouth in his. As they broke away, Harry tried to keep the horror on his face at bay as he realized that everyone at the table had been watching them, in completely shocked silence.

Turning away from Ginny, he smiled down at Luna who stared at him blankly. "Luna," He murmured before leaning down to kiss her as well. Then he walked towards an utterly puzzled Hermione, somehow managed to lean down precariously so as not to bump her swollen belly and kiss her too. After flashing a smile at all of them, he walked off to the bar.

Suddenly the noise level at the table seemed to rise a few notches as everyone begin to talk all at once.

"What was that all about?" Luna asked, taken aback and slightly mortified.

Ginny shrugged. "Must be some Italian thing he picked up."

"That was not Italian!" Ron exclaimed, looking rather put out.

"Yeah, felt French to me," Hermione agreed, grimacing at the memory of Harry's tongue in her mouth.

* * *

When Harry got to the bar, he was immediately greeted by George and Fred who promptly introduced him to their new Italian friend - Christine Madriani's older brother, Paul Madriani. While Harry busied himself with ordering drinks, he could not help overhearing the conversation between the three men. 

"I don't need poetry to get women?" George, currently single, was asking, seemingly in doubt about what women wanted.

"No, you need a personality to get women." Fred told him, his recent engagement making him an expert in female matters.

"Try a breath mint and a visa." Paul advised, sensibly. The twins nodded in agreement. They had to agree – after all, Paul was the one who was happily married with a pretty wife and an adorable daughter.

Beside them, Charley Tempesta was an obvious victim of the veela charm that a very much drunk Fluer had turned on full blast.

"If you were my girl, I'd make love to you in every room of the house, on every table top, on every rug..." He told her, in an attempt at seduction.

To which Fluer dazedly murmured, "We also have some lovely ancient chandeliers.."

Further down the bar counter, something akin to a riot seemed to be breaking out between the young punk of a bartender and a drunk Italian guy.

"Watch it, bud." The bartender warned.

"Who you calling bud, pal?" The Italian guy sneered.

"Who you calling pal, friend?" The bartender shot back

"Who you calling friend, jackass?"

"Don't call me a jackass." The bartender threatened.

'I just did call you a jackass." The Italian guy smirked.

Before the bartender could sock him in the jaw proper, the head bartender pulled the younger man away and spoke to him quietly. The Italian guy just stared blankly into space before wandering off, completely stoned.

"Wotcher, Harry." Harry turned to see Tonks standing beside him.

"Hullo." Harry smiled, still waiting for his drinks.

"How's it going?" She asked, after placing her order.

"Good, good."

"These Italian men..…" Tonks trailed off as she sighed wistfully. "Pity they're all taken."

"There's this guy – Vincent Cappadora – he's single." Harry remembered then.

"So, is he attractive?" Tonks asked, instantly interested.

"Well," Harry hesitated before continuing, "I'm not supposed to notice these things, but I believe the word is "hot.""

"Really?" Tonks looked really excited. She grabbed her drink and gave Harry a peck on the cheek as a sign of gratitude.

"Wish me luck!" She cried out, as she walked off, not before colliding directly into the man in question himself.

* * *

Harry was still laughing softly to himself when he headed back to the table, with no idea what was in store for him. Hermione looked rather grim. She had privately decided to take it upon herself to nip this so-called European custom in the bud. 

"Here are your drinks," He said, placing their respective drinks in front of them.

Before he could sit back down in the chair beside Ginny, however, "Hang on, Mr. Kissy face," Hermione said. Harry glanced at Ginny for at least a clue of what was going on. She shrugged.

"I don't know where you got it from but I want you to stop the kissing thing immediately. It makes me really uncomfortable." Hermione told him, honestly. Ron seemed quite pleased.

Harry nodded agreeably, as he sat down in his seat, relieved. For a moment, he thought they had figured out what was going on between him and Ginny.

"I told them it was an Italian thing you picked up." Ginny said, avoiding his eye, trying not to burst out in mirthful giggles.

"Yeah, I was trying to bring some culture to the group." He explained, straight-faced.

"Well, not in my _mouth_." Luna pointed out.

"Yeah," Ginny added, not wanting anyone to get suspicious, "It makes me feel like throwing up." She said vehemently and filled with disgust. Harry glanced at her, his eyebrow raised. Ginny looked away, biting back a smile.

* * *

The seven of them, Bill, Van, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting around and indulging themselves in mindless chatter, when a partially drunk Fred joined them at the table. 

"I just heard Mum telling the Bernollis about how you used to run around our lawn naked." Fred told Luna.

"Did I really do that?" She asked, amused.

"Yes, I vaguely remember so. I was seven and you were four."

"Well, that's a pretty big age difference. It's quite pervy really." Luna commented, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, I'd like to think so." Fred paused, "Fancy a re-enactment?"

At the pointedly loud coughs and snorts from the others seated at the table, Luna simply shook her head, "Let's just dance for now."

Seeing the crestfallen look on Fred's face, "We can save that for some other time." She added.

As Fred led Luna to the dancefloor, Ginny could not help feeling a tad wistful at the fact that she and Harry could not be as open about their relationship. Her eyes flicked towards Harry, greedily devouring the sight. She longed to reach out and touch him. He caught her gaze and held it. The intensity of her desire for him had to be burningly, blatantly obvious. Suddenly embarrassed and afraid one of her brothers'or Hermione might catch her, she looked away, studying the surroundings. Anything to avoid that penetrating gaze. Anything to slow her racing pulse and pounding heart.

It was then, inspired by a combination of lust and champagne, Ginny had a fantastic idea. She nudged Harry's foot, her action concealed by the floor length table cloth. Upon catching his eye, she shot him a pointed look before titling her chin subtly in the direction of the powder room. Wonderful, brilliant, intelligent Harry instantly got the hint. His eyes shone with mirth as he gave an unnoticeable, quick nod.

He rose from his seat, murmuring a polite "Excuse me."

"You aren't going to the bar, are you?" Ron asked hopefully, ignoring the admonishing looks his wife was giving him.

"No, Ron, I'm going to the loo." He told him, before walking off and heading towards the unisex washroom.

After what seemed like a century of pacing up and down and possibly wearing off the marble flooring of the powder room, the gilded door opened and Ginny appeared.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked, anxious with anticipation.

Ginny looked mildly miffed herself as stepped inside, closing the door behind her, "Some Italian guy stopped me to ask if I could give him my address in case anything happened to his wife."

"What!" Harry looked alarmed; "You didn't give it to him, did you?"

Ginny shot Harry an intent look, "Do you know _anything_ about women?"

Harry hesitated then, "Not really," He admitted, honestly.

Ginny could not help grinning in amusement, "That's okay then." She assured him.

His confidence and male ego respectfully restored, "Come here, you." Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Ginny giggled, walking towards him.

He reached out and pulled her towards him, and she came, so that her face was against his shoulder. She inhaled deeply into his dressrobes. "I can smell you," She sighed, before looking up.

"Y'know, Harry, I was thinking," Ginny fingered with his top most collar button, as she spoke hesitantly, "Can't I at least tell Hermione about us?"

Seeing the raised eyebrows on Harry's face as he opened his mouth to protest, she quickly continued speaking, "She won't tell Ron if I tell her not to. She's my best friend, Harry. It's just that ever since Hogwarts, Hermione's the one person I told _everything_ to." She looked rather desolate.

Harry almost gave in but he rubbed her back soothingly, "We're not ready to deal with all that. Isn't that what we agreed on?"

Ginny nodded, sighing.

"I'm sorry." Harry murmured.

"It's not your fault." Ginny said, smiling at him but with a look of uncertainty in her eyes. Harry could sense the doubts blatantly surfacing in Ginny's mind regarding his feelings for her and his intentions about their relationship.

He thought about the first time he saw Ginny, when she was not more than twelve. He thought of the way her red hair gleamed in the sunlight in the mornings, as she stumbled down for breakfast at The Burrow. He realised that Giny smelt delicious, her aroma much sweeter than roses or even honeysuckle in the night air, as if she washed her skin with chocolate or granules of sugar. Oh, how he wished he was able to put to words what he felt for her.

He put his hand at the side of her chin, held her face steady and kissed her with everything he felt. He could feel her give. A loosening around her spine. All her worries and doubts were shoved to the back of her mind, wanting to enjoy this exquisite moment. He kissed her with increasing passion and an almost despicably, sinful hunger.

"Wait a minute," Ginny broke away, breathing hard, "Nice boys don't kiss like that." There was a teasing hint to her tone that made Harry want her _even_ more.

Oh yes, they fucking do." He murmured throatily before leaning down to continue kissing her.

Harry slid his arms down to her waist, pressing her tightly against him. The excitingly familiar yet foreign taste of his mouth, that feeling of his tongue in her mouth, his fingers knotted in her hair, fingering each strand, his other hand trailing a torturously tantalizing path down her back - all added to the erotic moment.

She felt him growing hard against her belly causing a primal hunger of plain lust to rip right through her body. She tipped her head back as he nuzzled her neck so that he could kiss the dimpled place in her throat where her pulse beat furiously. She sighed, and with one swift movement he slipped her robes off her shoulders.

Ginny arched up as he brushed his mouth against the beginning of her cleavage, drawing deep on the sweet scent of cinnamon that always swirled around her. Harry thought for certain the top of his head would implode. He had never felt so out of control before, like a fourteen year old in perpetual heat. Only Ginny could do this to him.

He lifted her and her eyes widened with anticipation as he positioned her on the dressing table. She kissed him, her embrace hot and greedy, then lifted her head and licked her lips. She was beautiful – all tossled and eager. She leaned down again, touching her tongue to his, beginning another kiss, which led to another and another, and a never-ending stretch of lusty kisses.

**"OH! OH! OH! OH, MY EYES!" **

Ginny and Harry broke apart, startled by the farmiliar voice and loud exclamation. The sight that met them was one that would go down in wizarding history.

The usually unfazed Luna Lovegood was covering her eyes with one hand, yelling, loudly "**_My eyes! My eyes_**!" as she hopped from one foot to another, in what looked to be a fit of hysteria.

"Lu! It's fine! Stop shouting!" Ginny assuaged Luna as she got off the dressing table, removing her arms from around Harry's neck.

Luna cautiously peered through the gaps between her fingers and saw that Ginny and Harry were standing a considerable distance apart. Luna sighed with palpable relief. She was still in complete disbelief at the scene she had just walked into upon entering the powder room - Ginny's legs wrapped around Harry's hips, her arms locked around his neck and his hands cupping her face as he ravished her.

"You two are…" Luna trailed off, looking at the both of them inquiringly.

Ginny spoke up hesitantly, "Eh-"

"Yes, we're together." Harry cut her off, upon seeing the unsure look on Ginny's face as to what exactly they were.

"But this is wonderful! It's great." Luna crowed, looking thrilled. "Good for Harry, I mean. You, Ginny, you could do better." She added, much to Harry's chagrin.

"You really think so?" Ginny asked, referring to Luna's initial comment.

"You bet." Luna stated, sincerely.

Ginny glanced at Harry, looking exceptionally pleased. Harry smiled, that delicious, contented, handsome grin as he took a step towards Ginny. He coiled an arm around her hips, before leaning down to kiss her with an unmistakable tenderness.

They were interrupted almost instantly though by a loud exclamation of protest from Luna. "OH NO! STOP! Just because I think it's great doesn't mean I want to see _that_!" She was covering her eyes with her hands, her lips twisted in a grimace.

"That's a bit rich coming from you, Miss. Luna – 'Public Display of Affection is the only way' – Lovegood." Ginny commented with a sardonic hint of humor that made Harry want her all over again.

Luna looked mildly indignant, "You mean Fred and I look _that_ disgusting?" She asked with a shudder.

Neither Harry nor Ginny could decide whether to feel insulted or not. Brushing Luna's question aside, Harry addressed the matter at hand, "The thing is, we, Ginny and I, don't want to tell anyone else just yet."

"What! Why?" Luna asked, frowning in consternation already.

"We don't want to deal with my family, specifically my brothers." Ginny explained.

"But- But…" Luna was not happy in the least.

"We don't want to deal with the added pressure from everyone else to make this relationship work. It's really important to us." Ginny reasoned. Harry nodded.

Seeing the pleading look on Ginny's face, Luna nodded in agreement, "Fine, fine. If that's what you want." She shrugged, placating.

"Thank you _so much_!" Ginny burst out in relief, moving forward to embrace Luna in a hug.

"Well, we'd better head back to the table before anyone gets suspicious," Harry reminded Ginny.

"You go on first, Harry, I need a minute to freshen up." Ginny told him.

As Harry departed, Ginny pulled out her wand and proceeded to touch up her make-up. Beside her, Luna was doing the same.

"So how did it happen?" Luna asked.

Ginny mused about it for a moment before replying, "Have you ever let a romantic moment make you do something that you knew was stupid?"

"You slept with Harry." Luna concluded. She shot Ginny a look of reverence, "Wow."

"I know. I don't regret it though. The sex itself _was_ **'WOW'**." Ginny gloated, glad to be able to share this big moment in her life with someone.

Luna looked at Ginny with veneration in her eyes, "You're my hero."

Ginny laughed.

"I knew I should have shagged Fred first, before anything else."

Ginny's laughter died down in her lips at the disgusting image Luna had just forced into her head. "Lu, please, I _really_ don't need to know what you did with Fred first."

Just then Chris burst into the powder room, all flustered and looking out of sorts.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"One word – Sirius." She muttered, through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Luna began, a superior knowing look on her face, "I hate being serious as well."

Ginny choked back a laugh as she shook her head violently at Luna, motioning for her to shut up. "What'd he do now?" She asked Chris who had plopped herself onto the cushioned bench beside the dressing table.

"He cornered me at the bar and asked me if I was attracted to him."

"What did you say?" Luna asked, finally getting the drift and obviously intrigued.

"Well, I told him that wasn't the issue."

Ginny nodded encouragingly, "Good way to sidestep the question. What did he say to that?" She asked.

"He said 'let's make it the issue.'"

Ginny bit back a smug grin, silently thanking the stars and the powers that be that Harry was _nothing_ like his godfather. "What did you do?"

"I told him to leave me alone and I walked off."

"That's okay." Ginny reassured her.

"No, it's not." Chris said mournful, "I sounded pathetic."

"It's fine." Luna tried to console the older witch.

"Well, anyway, I'm sure Sirius has got some fatal flaw." Chris concluded, rising from the seat, to freshen her own makeup.

"How's that?" Luna asked, curiously.

"I'm attracted to him, aren't I?" She glanced at herself in the mirror, her own words sinking in.

As Ginny and Luna exchanged amused glances at this recent revelation, Chris slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, "I don't believe it. I'm attracted to Sirius-bloody-Black."

**_TBC_**

* * *

**A/N NOTE :- (impt points in bold)**

Me reading too many romance novels is a good thing or a bad thing?

I take all your comments and feedback personally. That's just who I am. It doesn't mean you have to apologise for your comments. I valued it in fact. Thanks for explaining anyway.

**Well, real life is not like movies or books and I just felt it would be more real for Harry and Ginny to ACT on their desires rather than suddenly kiss and profess their love like characters in a clichéd fairytale - that's just my opinion. And anyway that leads us to the next question – are they in love? Will they ever get around to telling each other so?**

Everyone seems to like the Ron and Harry bit while Ginny was in bed. In fact I never thought of that scene until recently and then it just came to me, right off the top of my head. It was inspired by the scene from 'Friends' when Ross barges into Chandler's hotel suite to yell that he's getting married and Monica's hiding under the covers in Chandler's bed.

Harry did not tell Ron he liked Ginny, he only told Sirius and Remus. Ron just suspects it and also he's kinda dense and thinks his sister doesn't like Harry in _that_ way _anymore_.

Fred's proposal is from Runaway Bride…no it didn't split the twins up – it was quite funny actually because George was trying to find a way to break it off with Luna without hurting her feelings since he didn't really feel attracted to her, then miracle of all miracles, he found out Fred had the hots for her….

Um..I think I mean MANY people review this story, rather than ONE person send MANY reviews at one go...lol..thanks tons anyway..it meant a lot to me..

The quote about 'you wouldn't know love if it bit you in the armpit' came from either Runaway Bride or Two Weeks Notice or Miss. Congeniality..I'm quite sure it's one of them…I have three words for Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous – No Benjamin Bratt. 'Nuff said.

**Why does EVERYONE think Hermione's going to go into labour? Well, we'll just have to wait and see how I feel about putting that in, won't we? I'll name the child Nicole if I do though..that's a promise…lol**

**A thousand apologies about the numerous false updates – I was re-posting the edited versions of chapter 11.**

**Once again sorry about the errors..you're right..it would be great if I have a good beta reader..I did have a great one but she's kinda busy at the moment..**

**Aniwai, it just seemed I'm getting less and less reviews for each chapter I update..i wonder if you guys could help explain to me this phenomenon…. is it my story? Is something lacking?**

**_REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! GIVE ME FOUR HUNDRED REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT UPDATE_!**


	13. The one with the End

**THE ONE WITH THE END**

_Disclaimer: Anything you see or recognise is not mine…._

* * *

Fifteen minutes later and Ginny was still in the powder room as she and Luna and Freda - who had joined them during that time - attempted to console Chris who was thoroughly despondent about the route her heart had taken. 

Just then the door was flung open and who else to step in but Sirius Black himself. Chris stopped midway in her pacing, frozen in her tracks. She felt something absolutely weird in her finger and toes, a sensation so threatening and strange she wanted to turn and run away from him.

"I thought you'd be here." He addressed Chris, his brow knitted in a slight frown.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" Chris snapped at him, already riled up by his mere presence.

Ginny, Luna and Freda who were seated on the cushioned bench were happily watching this exchange between Chris and Sirius.

"Well, you know I never listen to you." Sirius stated, matter-of-factly.

"Is that what you came here for? To fight with me?" Chris asked, irritated.

Sirius took a step closer to Chris, ignoring the three pairs of watching eyes, and smiled at her, one of his trademark swoon worthy grins.

Seeing Sirius' grin, Freda softly murmured to Ginny and Luna, "I think I just came."

Ginny was mortified but could not respond for Sirius had just taken another step closer to Chris, who was looking more and more like some caged wild animal.

Leaning down to increase the intimacy of the moment, "I'd rather fight with you than make love to anybody else." Sirius told Chris.

"That's so sweet." Luna whispered.

"Lucky bitch." Freda muttered, shooting dark looks at Chris.

Ginny, however, was watching the tension seep out of Chris' face as she stared up at Sirius, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Fine, so what shall we fight about?" Chris asked, a teasing glint in her eye.

"How about who is going to bring the strawberries and whipped cream the next time we meet?" Sirius suggested, glad that he was able to get this beautiful witch on his side. Remus had been right – honesty _was_ the best policy.

* * *

Ginny had just exited the washroom, Luna in tow, leaving Chris and Sirius to explore the realms of their new found friendship with retorts and snappy comments. 

Freda had gone off to find Zedka, hoping to ask her best friend to introduce her to one of her handsome cousins.

"_Uh-Oh_." Luna muttered, warningly. Ginny followed the direction of Luna's gaze and instantly cringed.

Blaise Zabini was sauntering towards her, his dark gray eyes shining from too much alcohol, his dark brown hair framing his chiseled face in waves. A few days ago, Ginny would have found the mere sight of him absolutely delectable but right now she wanted him and his fire whiskey breath out of her face.

Unfortunately, Blaise was not going anywhere. Ignoring Luna, he looked down at Ginny, grasping her hands in his, "Ginny, just listen to me, please. I've been going crazy. I can't stop thinking about you, and thinking about what an idiot I've been."

Ginny pulled her hands out of Blaise's grasp, her lips pressed together in a thin, grim smile. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's over between us."

Blaise was not going to give up. "Come on Ginny, we belong together - you, me, those genuinely tiny knickers of yours. If I can't make it with you then I can't make it with anyone."

**"**That's not a good enough offer for me." Ginny told him, sharply and firmly. She attempted to walk away but Blaise blocked her way.

"What are you doing?" She asked, exasperated.

"Kissing you." He replied with a handsome smirk as he backed her against the wall, placing his large hands on either sides of her as he trapped her between them. Ginny, taken by surprise, could barely react as he pinned her against the wall with his tall, broad frame.

Even before Luna, who had been standing nearby and keeping an eye on the unfolding scene, could pull out her wand and point at it Blaise, Harry – him with the quick quidditch reflexes and Moody's '**_Constant Vigilance!_**' Auror training – seemed to appear all of a sudden less than a foot away from Blaise, his wand pointed at the Italian wizard's face.

"Step away from Ginny, Zabini." Harry spoke in a clear, authoritative voice, his face an unnatural mask of nonchalance.

Blaise, being the Slytherin that he was, hid his surprise at finding himself facing the end of Harry Potter's wand.

"Why should I?" He sneered, leaning even closer towards Ginny who was feeling rather aggravated.

She detested having Harry defend her as if she was some damsel in distress but this situation seemed to give her no other choice. Blaise was standing so close to her that she barely had room to pull her wand out and hex him to Azkaban.

"If you don't, I'll curse you." Harry stated, the tightening of his grip on his wand the only indication of his rising anger. He barely noticed the crowd of curious observers gathering around them.

"I don't bloody care." Blaise said smugly, trying to press his lips against Ginny's. Ginny turned her face to the side so Blaise only got her cheek and at the same time, by reflex, raised her leg and kneed him in the groin.

"OW!" Blaise doubled up in pain, "You nasty bitch."

"You asked for it." Ginny told him.

She was about to whip out her wand out and hex him for good when Harry stopped her, grabbing her arm. Much to her chagrin, he shook his head, gesturing for her to stand behind him with Luna.

"Let me handle it." He stated rather than asked.

Ginny had no choice but to relent. However, she was already preparing a long lecture to give him afterward for attempting to defend her honor when she was very much capable of doing it herself.

He stepped up towards Blaise. "I should have done this years ago." Harry told him, tucking his wand back into his dress robes.

"Done what?" Blaise asked, straightening up, blinking furiously from the slightly decreasing pain in his nether regions.

"This." Harry said, before he punched Blaise in the jaw, hard.

Blaise staggered backwards, from the unexpected assault. "Ow. Fuck me, that really hurt. What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Blaise touched his jaw, glaring at Harry.

**"**This." Harry punched Blaise again, even harder.

"I'm not a Zabini for nothing y'know!" Blaise growled, throwing himself onto Harry, bringing him down on the floor. He managed to land a punch on Harry's jaw as they tussled on the ground.

It was at this juncture that Vincent Cappadora who had been standing in the crowd of onlookers, yelled out loud for everyone else in the reception hall to hear, "**_FIGHT!_** Come on then, it's a _real live fight_!"

Ginny closed her eyes briefly not believing what this was escalating into – Harry and Blaise were still on the ground wrestling with each other, all the other guests including her brothers were joining the crowd to watch and she had no idea how to explain why Harry had been so affronted on her behalf without delving into the details of the wonderful sex they had engaged in barely an hour ago.

**"**Whose side are we on?" Ben Cappadora, Vincent's older brother, who had wiggled his way to the front of the crowd asked.

"Zabini's of course. He's our flesh and blood." Paul Madriani replied.

"But he did dump Ginny and anyway, Harry killed Voldermort." Fred who had joined the Italian men in front, pointed out intelligently.

**"**You're right, it's a tough one to call." Dominick Tempesta agreed.

Ginny caught sight of Ron and Hermione making their way towards her. She grabbed Ron's arm as he stood beside her, "Please, stop them Ron! I don't want them dead or _worse_!" Ginny pleaded, desperately.

"Are you kidding?" Ron shot his younger sister an incredulous look. He glanced at the mesh of limbs on the ground that were Harry and Blaise, "No way am I going in there."

"Ask Bill or the twins," Ron nodded towards their elder brother standing some distance away, looking thoroughly amused.

Bill caught his youngest sister's eyes and shook his head, smiling, "I always hated Zabini, and you know it."

Fred and George were busy cheering Harry on with the rest of the crowd and also very much preoccupied with making bets as to who would win the fight. Hence, neither of them displayed any desire to stop the fight.

"We have to do something!" Ginny exclaimed.

Before anyone could suggest anything though, Blaise had disentangled himself from Harry and got off the floor with a bloodied nose, bruised jaw and torn dress robes. He took off instantly, Harry at his heels. Everyone watched with abated breaths and wide eyes as Harry threw his weight on Blaise from behind, pushing him into the champagne fountain and landing on top of him with a splash, startling the bartenders nearby.

"Oh my goodness." Ginny breathed, at her wit's end.

"It's amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy." Luna muttered quietly only for Ginny to hear.

"What are you gonna do now? Drown me in sixteen inches of champagne?" Blaise asked, between heavy gasps for air.

Harry paused for a moment, "Yes!" He said, a manic glint in his eyes. Then, the fighting ensued.

Teresa, Blaise's younger sister, having just joined the crowd, "What are they fighting about?" she inquired.

"I think it's over Ginny." Freda told her, watching the two men wrestle each other in the fountain, wishing fervently that one day, two just as good looking men would fight over her.

**"**Bizarre what some men find attractive." Teresa commented, shooting Ginny a contemptuous look.

Ginny was too worried about Harry to bother staring a catfight of her own with Teresa.

"They're going to kill each other." She cried. "Someone should stop them."

Uncle Joey who had been standing beside her all this while, quietly observing everything, finally spoke up with a twinkle in his good eye, "Don't worry about Potter. He'll live. It's Zabini I would worry about if I were you but then again, he needs a good arse whopping anyway. Besides, that which does not kill us, makes us stronger."

Blaise, already losing steam and weighed down by his drenched robes, paused between punches to ask Harry, "If you love Ginny so much, Potter, why don't you tell her?"

**"**I'll bear that in mind." Harry commented, coldly.

Blaise hesitated before retorting with a smirk**, "**Otherwise, she'd definitely shag me."

Harry moved forward to punch Blaise when a loud shrill intimidating whistle caused him to stop. Everyone turned around to see a red faced Molly Weasley, accompanied by Arthur, Patrick and Sylvia, making a beeline towards the fountain.

"WHAT is going on!" Molly fixed Harry with a glare that could have sent him straight to the gallows.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Sylvia Bernoulli boomed, in an even louder voice than Molly. None of the Weasleys, not even Remus, knew that Sylvia was capable of such a frightening display of anger and such a thunderous voice.

"**_MALO, MALO_**! ABSOLUTELY **_PAZZI_**!" She exclaimed, pulling Zabini by his ear as he stumbled out of the fountain, drenched in champagne.

"AND YOU!" Molly thundered at Harry who cowered in front of her after stepping out of the fountain. "YOU MAY HAVE KILLED VOLDERMORT BUT YOU ARE NOT EXCUSED!"

"DESSA, BLESS HER SOUL, WOULD BE ROLLING IN HER GRAVE TO SEE HER ONLY SON LIKE THIS!" Slyvia Bernoulli was admonishing her nephew.

Both Arthur and Patrick were taking an obvious backseat, twiddling their thumbs as they stood with the crowd, hoping their wives would not call them in for back up. There was complete silence in the entire dining hall as everyone watched, enthralled by the sight of two harmless looking elderly witches rant and rave at the Man who killed Voldermort and the most Eligible wizard of Europe.

"CANNOT BELIEVE YOU'D DO SUCH A THING! YOU! HARRY! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!"

"**_STUPIDA_** BOY! **_STUPIDA_**!" Sylvia glowered at Blaise.

The two fully grown, sopping wet, male wizards stood before the older witches, whimpering apologies and pleading for forgiveness.

"Doesn't look like they're going to start fighting again, are they?" Fred asked, hopeful with anticipation.

"Don't think so, mates." Thomas Tempesta, Charley's father, commented a tad sadly.

"The misery! The exquisite tragedy! The Susan Hayward of it all!" George exclaimed dramatically.

Ginny shot them both a dirty look. At the rate her mother was going, it looked as if she was going to expel Harry from the family and that was not going to work in either Harry's or Ginny's favor. Fortunately, the reason behind their fighting was not being broached, with both Harry and Blaise keeping mum about it. It was sometime before Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Bernoulli decided that both men were likely never to repeat such actions ever again and so they ceased their scolding.

As the crowd dispersed and most people gravitated outside to the terrace where the carriages were waiting to take them back home, Ginny ensconced a thoroughly dazed and sheepish Harry before anyone else got to him. Harry shook his head at Ginny, in an attempt to stop her from giving him an earful as well.

Ginny glared at him furiously. "The only reason why I'm going to forgive you and not nag your ear off for what you did is because I've just had a rather graphic shag flashback – you do have a _genuinely_ gorgeous bottom." She stated, her lips twitching from the effort not to smile.

Harry was momentarily taken aback and also somewhat pleased, "Right, well, thank you."

"What was that all about, mate?" Ron asked, coming up from behind Ginny, Hermione in tow.

Harry shrugged, "All that pent up rage against Slytherins."

Ron nodded, understandingly.

"It's more than that." Hermione said, shrewdly. Fortunately, she was more focused in fixing Harry's torn clothes and minor bruises with a few useful charms.

Just in case though, Ginny decided to fall upon the well used diversion of changing the topic of the conversation so as to prevent Hermione or Ron from probing Harry any further. "Weren't you telling me earlier, 'Mione, that you wanted Harry to have a look at the book of names to help pick a name for the baby since you and Ron can't agree on one?" She asked Hermione who finished fixing Harry up..

Harry's appearance gave no hint that he had been involved in a brawl a few moments ago but he still felt a bit sore in certain places, particularly his jaw where Zabini had socked him several times. The last thing he wanted to do, right now, was to pick a name for the baby but the warning look Ginny shot him when he opened his mouth to protest made him clam his mouth shut, instantly.

"Yeah, did you give him the book, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I did, before the bachelor party last night." Ron said, promptly turning on Harry, "Did you have a look at it?"

Harry shook his head, guiltily.

"Harry! You're the _godfather_!" Hermione cried out, completely scandalized by Harry's seeming lack of interest in her baby.

"It's not that, Hermione, I've been busy with this wedding and all…" Harry attempted to placate her.

"I have an idea – why don't we do it now itself, seeing as we don't have much time, the baby being overdue and all. Besides, the dinner reception is practically over." Ginny suggested. Harry shot her grateful look. She had salvaged him from receiving yet another lecture.

Hermione nodded agreeably.

"Let's head back to the house. The book is in my room, exactly where you left it." Harry said to Ron, sheepishly, obviously having not even touched it. Hermione shook her head reprovingly but held her tougue.

"I still like 'Emerald-Mist' best." Ron persisted, as they walked back towards the house.

Hermione who was walking beside him, shook her head, "Have you completely lost your marbles, Ron? I think 'Nicole' is more sensible."

Ginny and Harry who were walking behind them exchanged amused glances. Harry leaned towards her as they neared the house, "Can we name _our_ baby Emerald Mist?" He asked softly, jokingly.

Ginny shot him a stern look, "No babies. End of discussion."

Harry pouted. As they walked into the house, he muttered loudly enough for Ginny to hear, "Well, I'll just have to swap your birth control potion with some harmless draught without you knowing it."

Ginny stared at him in shock, before bursting into incredulous laughter. "I don't believe you," She gasped.

"If I want something, I go all the way to get it." Harry smirked.

Then, just to drive home his point and also because they were all alone in the hallway - Ron having gone up to Harry's room to get the book himself and Hermione having gone to sit down in the living room – he pulled her flush against him and kissed her in a way that reminded her that she was _his_, no one else's.

* * *

Sirius was sitting in the living room, smiling smugly about his up coming date with Cris but yet knowing somehow that this was going to be more than just another romantic conquest. Perhaps every man _was_ an island but clearly most men are island chains – underneath they were connected. 

He sat there, silently watching his friends, his godson, his loved ones filter into the living room, either exhausted or riled up by all the festivities of the wedding that had drawn to a close, and he felt a strange sense of contentment – for all that life had taken from him, it had given back just as much.

"Y'know the whole wedding night thing is complete _pish pash_ I tell you." Zedka proclaimed as she sat on the couch, her head resting against Remus's chest, "I mean by the end of the whole thing you're just too pooped to do anything, l_east _of all have sex!"

"I second that." Remus murmured, sipping a conjured up bottle of butterbeer.

Sirius shook his head, as he sat languidly in the armchair by the fireplace. "Well there goes my launching of Operation Newly Weds." He declared disheartened.

"Operations Newly Weds?" Harry asked, puzzled, glancing at his godfather.

"To stop the newly weds from having their '**wedding night'**." Fred stated as if reciting it straight from a dictionary. Sirius nodded, terribly proud of himself. Remus simply rolled his eyes while Zedka started to laugh.

"Sounds horribly tactical and militant." Remus commented wryly.

Suddenly Ron burst into the living room, face beet red, lips spread into a smug grin. He was holding his wand in his hand but it was not so much the expression on his face but what was hanging off the end of his wand – a pair of lacy peach knickers.

Ginny had a sudden coughing fit while Harry went terribly pale, his face contrasting sharply with his black hair. Everyone else looked thoroughly amused or shocked.

"Harry," Ron began to speak, " What was this doing under your bed?"

"I think the real question is '_whose_ are these?'" Sirius pointed out ever so helpfully, amused beyond belief by the possibility that his godson was involved in something scandalous. Remus shot his best friend a warning look.

"Eh-" Harry began, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"So, Harry?" Fred asked, leaning forward expectantly.

"Eh, it's, um, mine?" Harry offered.

Ginny snorted. Everyone else looked even more bemused and taken aback save for Sirius who was looking at Harry appraisingly. "I wore a thong once for one of my girlfriends. She said it meant I was secure with my masculinity and in touch with my femininity."

"Sirius! Spare us!" Remus protested.

"_I_ was thinking that this belonged to some girl you were shagging." Ron said to Harry, still holding out his wand with the kickers dangling off it incrimininatingly.

"Yes," Harry closed his eyes as if in great pain, "That would have made more sense."

Just then Luna walked in, having just visited the washroom. She spotted Ron standing in the living room with the women's knickers hanging from the end of his wand.

"Oh, nice undies." She quipped, walking towards the spot on the other couch between Harry and Fred. "Looks exactly like the ones I helped Ginny pick out for the wedding." She added, not realizing the explosive meaning of her words as she sat down.

It took a full minute for her words to sink in. With a loud yelp of protest, Ron shook his wand violently, flinging the underwear across the room and causing it to land right smack on Harry's lap.

Ginny was covering her very red face with her hands while Harry had gone as pale as Malfoy.

"You!" Ron yelled, pointing his wand threateningly at Harry, then pointing at his younger sister, You!"

"You!" He moved towards Harry pointing his wand at him, "And YOU!" Ron spun around, pointing his wand violently at Ginny who was looking increasingly miffed. "You _AND_ you!" Ron repeated, seemingly in some sort of shocked state.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Ron." George commented succinctly, attempting to put a stop to his brother's hysteria.

"I knew it! I just knew it!" Hermione crowed, triumphantly, "My hormones were _so_ on target!"

"It wasn't your hormones, 'Mione, it was my hair." Ginny told her curtly, ignoring the sulk on her best friend's face.

Luna on the other hand was busy studying the knickers on Harry's lap, "They are _really_ nice, Ginny."

Without waiting for a response from her distracted and annoyed roommate who was sitting on the edge of her seat, Luna turned to Fred beside her, " Don't you think they're nice, Fred? I should get a pair like that in red. You like red on me, don't you?"

Fred shrugged, embarrassed, noticing the amused stares in his direction.

"You guys weren't going to tell us, were you?" Remus addressed Harry and Ginny in an attempt to salvage the situation, despite his urge to continue laughing with his new bride.

"We'd find out anyway." Fred added.

"It's about time, too." George said.

"This is just great, it's _wonderfu_l." Hermione gushed, all of a sudden overcome by emotion.

Ron who had been standing in the middle of the room staring wildly at both Harry and Ginny, finally managed to speak, "Bill's going to kill you." He told Harry, at the same time attempting to decide if he was pleased or distressed by the notion.

"No, he's _not_, Ron." Ginny finally snapped, standing up to face her brother. "He'll be _glad_ for me because he _loves_ me and _knows _that I'm happy!"

"Yeah, Ron," Harry spoke up as well, rising to his feet, evidently drawing his courage from the sight of Ginny telling her brother off, "And _you_ should be happy for us too! Because I love her!" Harry exclaimed. "Yes, I love _her_!" He pointed to Ginny, "_I_ love _HER_!"

Harry stopped after his vehement, passionate rant to look around the suddenly deathly silent room. He realized that everyone was staring at him with utterly amazed looks on their faces, even Luna. Hermione looked as if she was close to tears.

The look on Ginny's face was something Harry wanted to remember for the rest of his life – the shine in her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, the slight smile on her lips, and the radiance about her - all procured from the astounding revelation that he loved her.

Ron was the first to speak, "I didn't know you'll were in love! I just thought it was a shagging thing." He explained, huskily, overwhelmed by all those years of furtive glances in Ginny's and Harry's direction, all that not-so-subtle attempts to nudge his best mate in his sister's direction and vice versa.

Ginny barely heard Ron. She was smiling at Harry with the look of utmost compassion and longing on her face. Ginny moved towards him, everyone else around them falling away, out of her scope, her vision, so that there was only her and Harry now in this world they had created.

Harry smiled down at her as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his shoulder and inhaled deeply into his shirt. The sheer scent of him was erotic. It was funny how smell evoked more memories than any other scent, not sight. Not sound but smell.

"You love me," She murmured softly so no one else would hear, still in complete disbelief.

She looked up at him. Her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth to the top of his hair, as if examining him for the first time. Back to his eyes. She seemed to be trying to find him. To read him. He knew he would not be hard to read, that it must all be there on his face. He knew he had a foolish look on his face, the stupid expression of bliss.

"Yes, I do Gin, with all the intensity of the southern hemisphere." His words were filled with an infinite passion and tenderness.

Ginny felt as if she was dissolving and melting. Bubbles of desire rose from her gut to her throat and escaped in an involuntary sigh of pleasure. Ginny knew what she wanted – she wanted this moment to be frozen so that she could stay here forever. Ginny smiled at him, touching the corner of his lips with the tip of her finger before kissing him, this time with the knowledge that he loved her as much as she loved him.

There was only one thing that could break their romantic reverie and bring Harry and Ginny crashing back down to earth. As Sod's Law would have it that was precisely what happened - Hermione chose that blissfully peaceful moment to mutter loudly enough for every one to hear, "I think I'm in labour."

**_...THE END..._**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**One of you reviewers gave me the idea about the whole naming the baby bit – I can't remember your user name but you know who you are – Thanks a million. This chapter is dedicated to you and your sister and her baby.**

Thank you for the overwhelming flood of compliments.

Forgive the grammatical errors due to a lack of beta reader.

_'Thanks for not making harry and ginny all happily ever after-ish. It really bugs me when people think that they can have just one kiss and go I LOVE YOU and everything would be all right. Most guys i know would start screaming and running away' – _that is EXACTLY what I mean. Besides as many of you have pointed out, they've known each other for years, shared mutual friends, fought in the war together, went through Hogwarts together etc.

Glad you spotted the Monica- Chandler reference – another 'Friends' fan like me!

The kissing thing is from 'Friends'. I loved that kissing episode in Friends..My favourite! One of my favourites. I'm glad that you thought I did justice to it. Some people seem to think it's all very clichéd.

Everyone take note - the 'armpit' quote from my previous previous chapter is from Runaway Bride.

Correct me if I am wrong, but you guys seem to have a lot of fun trying to spot which scene or which lines came from which movie, book or tv series..it's seems like almost a game doesn't it? Lol.

The reason why Harry is reluctant to tell everyone about him and Ginny is not because he thinks they will disapprove but because he does not want to deal with the fuss they will make, just yet. Ginny's brothers' will be repeatedly telling him not to break their sister's heart, her mum will most likely start planning their wedding and not forgetting that the media will be all over the Ginny and himself, wanting more nougats of information about the love life of England's most famous wizard.

**I hope I do not come across as being obnoxious by asking for so many reviews. I just value feedback and other people's views – that's all. I am not a very confident writer and am in constant need of reassurance that I am on the right track. Yes, I'm terribly flawed. Lol.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. I sure had a blast writing it. Thank you all for reviewing and staying with this story despite the long intervals between updating the chapters. I apologise for that.**

**_YES! I'M A REVIEW ADDICT! SO GIVE ME MY FIX!_**


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